Somewhere Out There
by FriendsLovers
Summary: Mac has planned a vacation for his team, which means camping in the Montanan wilderness. How will they like bathing in lakes and living next door to grizzly bears? Find out! - DL, FA, hints of SMacked, also Sid, Hawkes and Adam
1. A Special Vacation

**Summary: Mac has planned a vacation for his team, which means camping in the Montanan wilderness. How will they like bathing in lakes and living next door to grizzly bears? Find out! - DL, FA, hints of SMacked, also Sid, Hawkes and Adam**

**Author's note: Here's another new fic, I wrote it a while ago and thought I should finally post it. Of course I'll also update my other, older fics; I didn't forget about them and I have some updates that will be posted soon. Also there is the 'We all love to cuddle' sequel. I will post this after I completed 'Just Fantasy?'. I haven't written any vacation fics in a while. This time they'll go to Montana, with nothing else but tents and rucksacks. I have never been to Montana, so all information in this fic I found on websites. Please be kind if there might be mistakes here and there. :) Also I have no idea if the whole team could go on vacation together. But hey, this is fiction. I hope you'll enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything**

**Rating: T**

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****Chapter 1: A Special Vacation  
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"I can't believe I actually agreed to do this," Flack groaned, once again shaking his head at the realisation of what he was doing.

"Would you have liked to stay in New York instead?" Jess asked, rolling her eyes at the expression on Flack's face.

"Oh, come on, as if you can't imagine something better than going hiking and camping somewhere out there, lost in the wilderness. You as someone who was raised in New York City," Flack replied.

Jess only laughed in response. "I love the idea." She turned to Lindsay, who was sitting next to her, smiling at her friend. "Looks like we, Mac and Sid are the only ones who are looking forward to this trip and to escaping the busy metropolis." A little quieter she added, "I think especially our two guys here won't really have fun." With that she nodded her head into the direction of Flack and Danny, who were sitting in the seats in front of them.

Lindsay laughed as well. "Imagine what they'll do when they find out we're not just somewhere nowhere in the wilderness but also surrounded by loads of different, dangerous animals."

"And then he wants to know if I could imagine something better. Something better than seeing Messer and Flack acting like scared little boys? I think we'll have a lot of fun with them," Jess replied winking.

Lindsay nodded in agreement. With a happy smile, she looked out of the window of the car again, taking in the impressive landscape. She still couldn't believe they were indeed back in Montana. For a team vacation only, but anyway this was going to be a wonderful experience for them.

She could clearly remember the moment when Mac had told them all to come into his office. The last few weeks and months had been hard for them all. Desperately they had tried to catch a brutal serial killer. They had managed to catch him and Mac had come to the conclusion that if they wanted to stay that successful with solving cases, they needed some time off. As a team.

One week of vacation, from Saturday to Sunday the week after. Most of the time the team would spent with hiking in the beautiful area of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness in Montana. After one week hiking and camping, they would return to a certain place near the Beartooth Highway. Then they would spend the rest of the weekend in Bozeman, visiting Lindsay's family. To sum it up; this was the best vacation she could imagine. Some of them had a different opinion though.

"Come on, I'm sure you guys will love being out there, enjoying the quiet," Lindsay said, grinning.

She knew exactly that especially Flack and Danny she wouldn't be able to convince. The team, which included Danny, Lindsay, Mac, Stella, Jess, Flack, Adam, Hawkes and Sid, had completely different opinions about the team vacation. While Lindsay, Jess, Mac and Sid were looking forward to it, Hawkes was only glad he could leave work for a while. Stella and Adam weren't really sure whether they should be scared or happy about the trip while Flack and Danny wished they would have been able to stay at home. But then they would have had to work and so they had decided to go with their team.

Lindsay couldn't know that both, Danny and Flack, had their own special reasons for that, and those reasons had a lot to do with her and Jess. Of course neither of them would admit that, same with the fact that they were even scared a bit about being in the wilderness.

It didn't take them long until the huge van arrived at their target. They left the highway and were driving on a smaller road until they stopped next to a small, wooden house. A man, who had been sitting in front of it like he was waiting for something, instantly got up the moment he saw the guests from New York arriving.

"Here we are," Mac said satisfied after parking the car on the parking space next to the house. "I'd say you already get out of the car and get your stuff together. We won't stay here long. We'll have a little picnic and then we'll already start from here."

"I'm wondering if something like a 'hiking fever' exists," Danny whispered while they left the car. Lindsay couldn't help but chuckle at the expression on his face.

"I'm sure after this vacation you won't want to go back home. You'll love it out there. You can't imagine how great you can relax when nothing but nature is surrounding you," she said. What had started as a mix of teasing and encouraging her friend had changed into an almost dreaming-like description of her own experiences back home. She missed the warm smile that lit Danny's face at that.

"I can't deny I'm really not looking forward to going hiking somewhere out there," he said, this time even without the slightest bit of teasing or whining in his voice. "But for you, Montana, I'll try my best to enjoy it. Although...with you at my side I'm sure I will enjoy it."

Despite herself, Lindsay couldn't help but blush lightly. Usually she always had a comment she could shoot back. Sometimes though, like now, he caught her by surprise. His warm words, combined with the sparkles in his incredibly blue eyes, prevented her from commenting.

"I'm sure you'll like it here," she said, smiling at him as well before she quickly turned back to her rucksack.

"So, you're really looking forward to this trip?" Flack asked while he watched Jess working on her rucksack.

"Of course. Why not?" she asked back, not even looking up. "A vacation is exactly what we need. Lindsay told me so many stories about going hiking. It will be a nice experience."

"Especially when a bear comes to hunt you," Flack replied.

"Yeah, maybe you and Danny should get armed then," she added, getting up from her kneeling position. "And now stop whining and start packing."

"Yes, Ma'am," Flack answered, rolling his eyes. Jess didn't see the smile he gave her after she had turned away from him again.

A few moments later, the team around Mac had sat down near a fire place next to the house of Jake, a friend of their boss. The man would take care of their car and also had bought food and water they'd take with them. The longer they stayed at this place, the more nervous Danny became. He couldn't imagine how it'd be to live in the wilderness for around a week. No electricity. No showers. Only the food and water they took with them, or fish they'd catch.

No, he wasn't sure if this was a nice vacation at all. But then his eyes wandered over to Lindsay and once again Danny changed his mind and stopped himself from suggesting to go back home to work. For some reason he couldn't get enough of seeing her excited like this. Her eyes were sparkling, revealing how much she was looking forward to this trip. No matter how much he disliked the idea of going hiking and camping, for her he was going to do it. But he could already imagine that this week wouldn't be easy for them.

Right now, the team was sitting around the fireplace next to the wooden house of Mac's friend Jake though, waiting for the man to start to tell them whatever he had to tell them. Neither of them could deny that they were glad they had finally arrived at their target. Sitting in a plane and then in this large van had been exhausting. Yes, some of them would even go so far and say that they were looking forward to walking around a bit.

"Alright. So, you finally arrived. Let me welcome you to the beauty of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Area," Jake began. "You'll spend one week out there with Mac. Mac and I have done this hiking tour a couple of times already when he came here to visit me, so you'll have a great guide."

"I hope so," Adam said quietly. "I don't really want to get lost out there."

Jake, who hadn't heard the comment, continued, "There are a few rules you have to keep in mind though. First of all; you're out there in the wilderness. Means you won't be alone out there."

"Oh, I'm not that scared of other tourists, to be honest," Flack said, grinning at Jess, who rolled her eyes at him.

"Yes, tourists," Jake said. "But also animals. Out there you'll have the opportunity to meet a lot of different animals. Examples are moose, elk and mule deer. And of course grizzly bears. Make sure you keep a distance between yourself and those animals. The law says that you have to keep at least 100 meters between yourself and a grizzly."

"Well, that shouldn't be a problem," Danny replied. "I wasn't going to high five them when I meet them."

"I also wouldn't try to get close to moose," Jake continued. "Moose aren't just tall, they're dangerous as well, especially when you get too close to a cow with her babies. Next to the grizzlies, moose belong to the most dangerous animals out there."

"Means we have to take care that neither moose nor bears get too close to us while we're out there?" Hawkes asked. Lindsay, who was sitting next to him, couldn't help the thought that he looked slightly scared at that thought.

Jake nodded. "Yes. Just keep your eyes open and listen to what's around you. Also listen to what Mac's telling you. Then you should be fine. Also make sure you don't leave your food without anyone taking care of it. It'll lure bears. But Mac will tell you the details I think."

With that Jake looked at Mac, who nodded in agreement. To his team members he said, "We'll stay here for around one more hour. I'd suggest you relax a bit, make sure you have all your stuff you want to take with you and eat a bit. After we started here, we'll walk until around 5 pm. That should be enough for today. Then we'll look for a place for the night."

"Sounds like a plan," Sid answered, already opening his rucksack for something to eat.

"It does sound good," Stella agreed. "But...I know we already talked about that, but we'll be out there, nowhere near any public camping places, right?"

Mac nodded. "Exactly."

"So that means no showers, no toilets, nothing, right?" Hawkes asked.

Again Mac nodded. "Yes. You can call it a trip back to the roots."

Hawkes seemed to be satisfied with the answer, also not really shocked by the fact that there wouldn't be anything they were used to from back home. But Adam's expression was saying the exact opposite.

"And where exactly are we going to shower? And to...well, you know?" he asked.

"What do you think?" Danny asked back, although his expression revealed he also wasn't too excited by the thought.

"You'll get used to it," Mac said before the conversation could get any more into details.

"Seriously, Mac," Flack replied. "Why couldn't we go on a normal vacation? Like staying in a hotel or something. Or a spa. We all love each other, don't we? We don't need any team building or something."

"That's also not the reason why we're doing it," Mac answered, still calm. Since he had announced what exactly they were doing, he had to explain himself over and over again. But he stayed surprisingly calm. "We had a lot of stress lately. Of course we could also relax in a hotel or spa. But I want you to shut out everything else around you. And believe me, there is nothing more calming than being out there, without any stress."

"And without any toilets or showers," Flack whispered. Mac didn't reply to that.

"Alright. Like I told you, we'll start in an hour. You could also think about who wants to share a tent later," he said.

More or less enthusiastic, the team followed his order. Lindsay, who had been watching her friends during Mac's and Jake's explanations, had had a hard time with not laughing. All of them had gone through a lot of changes of expression, even Jess and Sid. Neither of them had been hiking and camping in the wilderness before, without any civilisation anywhere near. She had to admit that being out there without even having a shower or a toilet was something one had to get used to. But as much as her colleagues were whining and complaining, she knew after all they would enjoy the trip.

"So Montana, are you excited?" Danny asked, interrupting her in her thoughts. He had switched places and was now sitting next to her instead of Hawkes.

"I haven't been hiking for a long while, so yes, I'm excited," she answered. "What about you?"

"Oh, I think it'll be fine," he replied, failing at hiding that this was really not his opinion. "I also don't think you have to be scared of the bears or something. If you want I can share a tent with you to protect you."

Although Lindsay blushed lightly at the look he was giving her while making his suggestion, she couldn't help but laugh. "I don't think you have to protect me."

"And I also don't think you'll share a tent with her, Danny," Mac's voice interrupted them.

"What?" Danny asked, staring at his boss in disbelief. "Mac, you do know we're no highschool kids anymore? We're adults."

"That's the reason," Mac replied simply.

When Danny turned back to Lindsay, she wondered if the disappointed look he was giving her was faked again or if he was indeed disappointed they couldn't sleep in the same tent. She couldn't deny she wouldn't have had anything against sharing a tent with him. But of course there was no way she'd admit that.

"Don't worry, Lindsay and I will share a tent," Jess said, who had been listening to the little conversation with amusement. "And you can have Don."

"Thanks. That's really nice of you," he replied.

Once again Lindsay got the feeling that Danny really wasn't that happy with Mac's decision. She couldn't deny she thought it was quite adorable. And the longer she thought about it, the more she realised that what Mac had said was right; a trip like this was exactly what they needed.

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**Preview: Lindsay tells Danny about Montana. Jess 'rescues' Flack during their first hiking trip. And who would have thought building a tent could be that difficult?**


	2. About Hiking And Building Tents

**A/N: Wow!!! Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews! And huge thanks to everyone who added this fic to their favourites and alerts! It's so great to know you like this story so far. :) Special thanks to madmush (Thank you! I'm happy you like the beginning.), JavaJunkie4evr, royan1985, afrozenheart412, swfap88, LuganandReelaForever, McGem, DantanaMM, Desiree1989, lily moonlight, messersgirl123 (I hope so. ;) It was fun to write!), CSINYtwins1412 (Thanks! I'm happy you like the idea.), Hylen and C3 (I will add a few little Mac/Stella scenes. Your ideas about him impressing her sound very good! Thanks for the suggestions!)!**

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****Chapter 2: About Hiking And Building Tents**

"So, everyone finished eating and packed their rucksacks again?" Mac asked. After an hour sitting around the fireplace, it was now about time to start. Lindsay could feel how she was getting more and more excited. Since the moment Mac had announced they'd go to Montana for a trip, she had been looking forward to it. And spending this time together with her best friends? Even better.

"Are you sure you don't need help with all that stuff, Montana?" Danny asked from behind her. "I mean your bags are almost as big as you." When he saw the look she gave him, he quickly added, "Not that I'm thinking you're short or something. Just...that's a lot to carry, you know."

"I'll be able to handle that," she replied. "And Jess and I are taking turns with the tent. Really, you have no need to worry. Better watch your back. You know, because of the moose and bears."

Although she tried her best, she couldn't fight back the grin that lit her face when she saw the expression on his face. Oh, how much she loved to tease him! But he wasn't any better, so she could do the same, right?

Danny had noticed the smile she was giving him, as much as the sparkles in her eyes. He was pretty certain that she had no idea how much he loved to see her like that. He had already given up on playing the protective guy who'd rescue her in front of a bear or whatever animal they would possibly meet out there. So he had decided to change his plan and try something else.

"You're really a country girl," he said while the group started to follow Mac away from the house and into the forest, following one of the many hiking trails. "You've done something like that before? Several days out there, no one near, just you?"

For a brief moment Lindsay was surprised by the sudden interest he started to show her. Looking him into the eyes questioningly, she tried to find evidence for her suspicion that once again he wanted something. But even if he wanted something- who cared?

"Yes, back home we were living near the forest, with lakes and everything. It was wonderful," she told him. "Sometimes I've just left the city for some hiking on my own. With no one wanting anything from me, no one telling me what to do. Like you said- just me."

A warm smile lit Danny's face at the happy expression that appeared on her face at the thoughts of her old home. This was only one of the effects he had wanted. Also he had to admit he was truly interested in what she was telling. He loved to learn more about her.

"But didn't you get bored when you were out there alone?" he wanted to know. The moment he had asked and saw the grin that lit her face, Danny already regretted his question though.

"I haven't been alone every time," she answered. "I had the luck that some of my boyfriends also liked to go hiking and camping. Plus you don't disturb anyone out there. You can do whatever you want without annoying anyone."

At this point, Danny started to curse himself for asking this question in the first place. Of course he should have known that somewhere along the line she had had boyfriends and maybe had done other certain things out there during camping. He didn't need that confirmed by her.

"So you think we'll like it out here?" he asked then, hoping he could change the topic easily like that.

Of course Lindsay had seen the sparks in his eyes the moment she had started to talk about her and her ex-boyfriends. She didn't really know why that caused any reaction from him. It was amusing though, especially when he changed the topic immediately. But she wasn't going to talk about ex-boyfriends, so she was fine with giving in this time.

"Of course you will," she said. "It's a big difference from living in New York, but you'll get used to it."

"I hope I'll get used to it before we're back home again," Danny replied, once again causing Lindsay to laugh.

Meanwhile Flack and Jess, who were walking behind their two friends, had watched them in silence and had listened to the little conversation.

"Why is he doing that?" Flack asked after a while.

"Why is he doing what?" Jess asked back. "Talking to her about her hobby? Maybe because he likes her and is interested in her and what she likes?"

"Yeah, maybe," Flack answered. "But why is he wasting his time with flirting like that? It's so not him. Usually he's never the understanding kind of guy when he flirts."

"I'm not sure whether I should be concerned or not that you know so much about Danny's ways to flirt," Jess replied, grinning at the glare Flack gave her. "But I don't know what your problem is. Yeah, he's trying to flirt with her. But only because he's not acting like he's in a bar but shows some honest interest doesn't mean he's not himself. Maybe this is the real Danny. Ever thought about that?"

"I know him better than you do," Flack replied simply. But Jess laughed in response.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, Don," she said. "I'm a woman, and women have a sense for that."

Flack raised his eyebrows. "And that means you know exactly what a guy is thinking?"

Again Jess laughed. "Not exactly. But sometimes...yes."

Flack could only stare at her and the grin she was giving him. What Mac had forgotten to tell them though was, that even following a simple hiking trail through the forest already was dangerous when one didn't pay attention.

Like Flack, who didn't see the root, building a light loop on the trail. Before Jess could warn him, he stumbled over it. Instinctively grabbing his arm, Jess managed to prevent him from crashing right into the tree next to the trail.

"Shit," Flack cursed, after a brief moment of shock trying to calm his racing heart down again.

"Are you alright?" she asked, helping him to stand up straight again.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, blushing bright red, at both his stumbling and her concern. "Thanks for...well, saving me."

"No worries," Jess replied, winking at him. "We girls love to save you guys."

Groaning lightly, Flack rolled his eyes at her. "Yeah, yeah. Sure."

Jess only laughed in response.

The rest of the team hadn't noticed anything of what was happening behind them. While Mac and Stella, as much as Hawkes, were busy with walking and talking about work, Sid amused watched Adam, who also had problems with focussing on the trail. Not because he was busy with talking though.

"Are you okay?" he asked after watching the younger man for several minutes.

"What? Uh...of course," Adam answered. Briefly he looked at Sid but then continued throwing hectic glances around himself.

"Are you looking for something?" Sid wanted to know. He couldn't help but smile at Adam's behaviour, knowing exactly what problem the other man had.

"No...uh, I mean yes. I'm just making sure no one is following us," Adam explained.

"Like a bear or a moose for example?" Sid asked.

Adam instantly blushed bright red. "Jake and Mac said we should keep a distance to them. I'm just doing what they told us."

Sid laughed. "Don't worry. If there is a bear somewhere near I will warn you."

Adam only nodded, not feeling the slightest bit better though.

The walk through the forest seemed to be endless. But anyway the hours passed quickly. It was almost five in the afternoon when they left the trail with forest on both sides and arrived at a beautiful lake. Obviously this had been Mac's target and they had been in time.

"Wow," Lindsay said when she had a free view at the lake and the mountains in front of her.

Danny, who was standing next to her, didn't say anything. Instead he only kept on looking at Lindsay, thinking that the smile on her face was much prettier than the landscape. Although he even had to admit she was right. The area was in fact quite nice, even in his eyes. But what he loved even more was the fact that he'd be able to spend all the time together with her.

The trip was exactly how Lindsay had imagined it, maybe even better. Secretly she had always dreamt to be able to experience something like that with her colleagues from New York one day. Back in Bozeman her old boss had done those team vacations from time to time for some team building. She would have never imagined Mac would do the same with them and so she was even more excited now.

She and Jess had just managed to build up their tent and where now working on getting it comfortable for the night.

"So, you're happy to be here?" Jess asked while she and Lindsay spread the thick sleeping bags on the ground.

Lindsay nodded. "I still can't believe Mac took us here. It's such a wonderful place. And so different from a normal vacation. Do you think you'll get used to sleeping in a tent and bathing in the river?"

Jess chuckled. "Well, I think I will get used to it. With our guys I'm not so sure though."

"You could be right with that," Lindsay agreed laughing. "I can't blame them though. It's so different from back home out here. Plus we really have no luxury at all."

"I think Danny will get used to it sooner than you think though," Jess replied.

"What makes you think that?" Lindsay wanted to know.

"You'll see," Jess simply answered, winking at her friend.

Lindsay already knew what this expression meant. Since the two of them had become friends shortly after Lindsay had started to work for the New York Crime Lab, Jess had tried to push her into a special direction; into Danny's. For some reason her friend had the plan that she and Danny were just perfect for each other. So she used every possible situation to get them closer, even to spend some time together. Lindsay could imagine that this vacation wouldn't be any different.

"And what about Don?" she asked to quickly turn the attention from herself to her friend. "You already rescued him earlier. Maybe he'll get himself into more situations like that."

"If he has fun with that," Jess answered, shrugging, causing Lindsay to grin. Yes, Jess liked to have those conversations, as long as they weren't about her.

Before either of the woman could say more though, sounds from outside their tent caught their attention. The half yelling, half annoyed voices were only too familiar to them. Quickly exchanging a brief look, they headed to leave the tent to see what was happening.

"I can't believe the two of you aren't able to build a simple tent," Hawkes just said. He was standing next to Danny and Flack, who were fighting with said tent. Until now, no one of the two had been successful with building it at all. Instead what was supposed to be a tent look like one big chaos.

"Yeah, yeah, very funny," Danny groaned, shaking his head at the description while Flack was desperately trying to prevent the sticks he had finally managed to put up from collapsing again. "Why don't you just help us, huh?"

"We'll have to move every day," Jess answered, with a grin watching the two men. "Means you'll have to do that every day and if someone helps you, you won't ever learn it."

"You're so friendly, Jess," Flack replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes at her.

"What about you, Montana?" Danny asked, giving up on understanding the description. "You'll be sweet and help us?"

Lindsay had to break the eye contact to him, knowing that whenever he used his famous puppy dog eyes or his smirk, she hardly could say 'no' to anything. She couldn't help but find it funny how the two guys had to fight with a simple tent.

"I'm sure you'll be fine," she answered. In the same moment Flack's sticks collapsed again, causing both men to groan in annoyance.

Once again Jess and Lindsay exchanged a glance. "What do you say? Shouldn't we help them? Otherwise they won't ever be able to sleep tonight?" Jess asked.

Lindsay turned to look at Danny and Flack who were watching them now. "I think we should, yes."

With a grin, she and Jess stepped closer, taking the description and the items from their two friends. As much as they liked them, sometimes they just couldn't help it; they had to tease them, like they kept on teasing them. Trying hard to hide their grins, they explained what to do while building the tent themselves. With red faces, Danny and Flack watched the two women.

"That's so embarrassing," Flack hissed. "Why the hell couldn't we even build a stupid tent?" When Danny shrugged, he added, "And now they have their fun with teasing us. Great, really."

"Doesn't mean we can't take revenge sooner or later," Danny replied.

Flack didn't look convinced. "And how do you want to do that? Out here? Here isn't much you could do."

"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that," Danny answered, smirking lightly. Of course he had caught the light sparkles in Lindsay's eyes. He had been teasing her so many times and it was only fair that she had her sweet time with teasing him as well. But revenge was sweet and he loved to come up with something new he could do.

"Thank you so much," Danny said after the two women had finished their work. While Jess kept on explaining something to Flack, he stepped closer to Lindsay. "You sure you don't want me to share a tent with you? I could warm you when you're freezing. And I could protect you, you know, because of all those animals out there."

Looking up at him, Lindsay noticed how close he was standing next to her, whispering into her ear. One of his famous smirks was plastered over his face and she couldn't help the delicious shivers running down her spine. She also couldn't help the strong urge to just comment back.

"I think if someone needs to be protected, it's you," she whispered back, gently resting her hand on his arm. She felt how he tensed lightly at the soft contact, causing her to grin inwardly.

"Then maybe that's an even bigger reason for you to share a tent with me," Danny replied, winking at her. "I think Don would be even worse than me when it comes to being attacked by a grizzly."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Lindsay answered, winking back at him, letting go of his arm again. She turned around to hide that wide smile that lit her face when she walked back to her own tent.

"That's hard, Montana," Danny whined playfully. Lindsay only kept on grinning in response.

Meanwhile Mac and Stella had watched the little scene, both amused shaking their heads at their younger colleagues.

"I think it was a wise decision to forbid women and men to share a tent," Stella said. "Although I have the feeling they won't listen to that rule."

Mac only nodded in response. This was pretty much what he was thinking as well.

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**Preview: Danny and Lindsay share a romantic moment at the lake. The women have a bath in the lake. And the men think they came up with a clever idea.**


	3. Crazy Ideas

**A/N: Whoa! THANK YOU!!! lol That's all I can say right now. Thank you so much for all those lovely and sweet reviews! I don't think I ever got that many reviews for a chapter. Thank you so much!!! I'm so happy you like this fic, and thanks to everyone who added it to their favourites and alerts! And of course thanks to everyone for reading! I'm still sitting here, smiling! ;)**

**Special thanks to Hylen (also for reading this chapter here already), Desiree1989, afrozenheart412 (also for inspiring me for this chapter), LuganandReelaForever, csi-ncis, xocsinylvrMesserMonroe, Cowboy'sMontana, C3, DantanaMM, madmush, crys, SMacked Hard, jmc715, DREdwards, messersgirl123, royan1985, natabrains and Montana Angell!**

**Just a little information: Actually I planned to have 10 team members in this fic. I rewrote a few parts though and changed a bit and so they're 9 team members now. That's why Stella has to sleep in her tent alone. :)**

**Also if you like Montana fics, maybe you check out 'Big Sky Country' by RoseBrina (lily moonlight and me)! ;)  
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****Chapter 3: Crazy Ideas**

The first evening in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness was exactly how Lindsay had expected. It had been a perfect day in spring. It was warm already and the sun had been shining in the bright blue sky, so even while they had been walking through thick forest on a small hiking trail, they still had had enough sunshine.

Now it was late and the sun was slowly disappearing behind the tall mountains with their still snowy tops. The place Mac had chosen for their first night was just perfect. The lake was sparkling, light waves causing a steady, calming sound. A light wind was blowing, gently stroking through the large trees that were bordering the edges of the lake.

"Feels like home, doesn't it?" Danny's voice interrupted her in her thoughts. He had joined her at the edge of the lake, a couple of feet away from the tents and the others.

Lindsay nodded. "I've been out in the wilderness so many times. It still never fails to amaze me."

"Mind me if I join you?" Danny asked, pointing at the bole she was sitting on.

"Sit down," she answered, smiling up at him.

Mirroring her smile, Danny sat down next to her. Lindsay had already turned her attention back to the lake. Once again he caught the dreaming-like expression in her beautiful brown eyes and he felt the all too familiar warmth rising inside him, making it hard for him to resist the urge to simply embrace her.

But instead he turned his attention to the lake as well. Even he, who was used to the city and thought skyscrapers were much prettier than endlessly long fields had to admit that the landscape was simply amazing. And for the first time since he knew about Mac's plans for their vacation, Danny found himself liking it.

"Do you miss your home sometimes?" he asked after several long minutes of silence. He glanced at her again, wondering what she'd say. Was she used to living in New York already? Did she still feel homesick sometimes? Would she share those information with him?

"Sometimes," she answered. "Sometimes I miss it. I mean, my whole family lives in Montana. I've grown up on a farm, with animals around me, in a big house. I've helped my parents with the farm since I was a kid. Me and my brothers went hiking at the weekends. Even when I started to work for the crime lab, my boss arranged those hiking trips for us. In New York I can't do that anymore."

"No surprise you miss that," Danny replied. "If I had to live somewhere else than New York...I would feel really homesick I think." He paused briefly, fighting with the question he wanted to asked but somehow didn't dare to ask because he was afraid of the answer. He was too curious to wait though. "Do you think you'll go back one day?"

Nervously he looked at her. This question was spinning in his mind ever since she started to work in New York. Especially when she was telling them how wonderful it was back home and had this expression. He had never dared to ask her this question before, mainly because he was scared of what she could say. He didn't want her to go back to Montana. He wanted her to stay. Of course he knew this was kind of selfish; he wanted her to stay because he wanted her to be around him. Of course he would accept her wish if she wanted to go back one day; all he wanted was her being happy. But he knew this would torture him a lot.

"No," she answered, surprising him with the determination in her voice. "I won't go back."

"No?" Danny asked, trying hard to hide the relief in his voice. "So...New York is your new home now?"

Looking at Danny for the first time in minutes again, she couldn't help the light smile that lit her face. He looked so adorable; curious like a child, hoping to get the answers he wanted to get from her. Luckily she could please him.

"I love New York," she explained. "It was always my dream to move to this city. I have to admit I was really insecure when I arrived. I didn't know how you guys would be, if you'd welcome me or not. Now I'd even say I'm closer to you guys than I ever was to my old co-workers. And New York? It's even better than I ever imagined. Of course sometimes I feel the wish to go back home. But only for vacation. New York feels like home already, even after only a few months. And I love being around you guys."

Her smile widened when she saw the expression on Danny's face change. He had given up on hiding his smile at her answer. She could imagine it was making him happy she liked the city he had grown up in. She had no idea why she had really made him happy though.

While Danny and Lindsay continued enjoying the beautiful view in front of them, they didn't notice they had been watched all the time. Jess and Flack were sitting at the fireplace, just far away enough from the others so they could watch their friends and talk about them without being heard.

"I knew this vacation was a good idea," Jess said, a satisfied smile on her face.

"I'm still not convince," Flack replied. "A hotel or something would have been as good as this. Even a farm would have been okay. But what's all this back-to-the-routs stuff about?"

"It's about getting closer to each other," Jess answered. "When you have to live in an area like this, you have to be able to rely on each other. Also there is nothing much you can do alone. You can't do anything else but getting closer to the others." With a grin she added, "And those who are already close, like our Danny and Lindsay over there, it might lead to even more."

"Oh, Jess, what exactly do you have in mind?" Flack asked teasingly.

"Surely not what you're talking about," Jess replied, smacking his arm.

"So...do you think this getting-to-know-you-better thing is working for all the team members?" Flack wanted to know.

"Definitely," Jess answered. She noticed the smile that lit Flack's face at this answer and she couldn't help but smile as well. This time it wasn't a teasing smile though.

"Hey you two. I hope we don't interrupt anything," another voice suddenly caught their attention.

Looking up again, they found Danny and Lindsay standing in front of them, smiling down at their two friends. Jess and Flack hadn't even noticed them approaching.

"Funny, Messer," Flack replied, rolling his eyes. "What about you? Enough of the wilderness romantic with your country girl?"

At this comment, both, Danny and Lindsay blushed. They exchanged a brief glance, which only caused them to blush more.

"I think it's time to wait and see what Mac has to tell us for tomorrow," he answered.

With that Danny headed over to a free place at the fireplace, Lindsay following him. They could still feel the eyes of their friends resting on them. Neither of them could deny that their little meeting at the lake had indeed been pretty romantic.

* * *

When Lindsay woke up the next morning she needed a moment to remember where she was. Blinking a few times, a confused expression lit he face when she didn't find herself in her big king sized bed but in a sleeping bag, surrounded by the bluish fabric of a tent.

A huge smile lit her face when she remembered where she was; they were in Montana, for a team vacation. Turning around, she had to chuckle when she found Jess, only half covered by her sleeping bag, still deep asleep. A quick glance at her watch revealed they still had a few minutes left until Mac wanted them to get up. But she couldn't resist the urge to wake her friend up already.

"Jess, wake up," she said, shaking the other woman lightly. "It's time to get up or do you want Mac to wake you up personally?"

Jess groaned. Briefly she looked up at her grinning friend before she glanced at her watch. "Linds, we still have enough time until we have to get up," she mumbled into her arm.

"Oh, come on. You're awake already, so you could just get up with me," Lindsay answered.

Jess sighed. "I'm awake because you woke me up. How can you be so fresh and in a good mood that early?"

Lindsay shrugged. "I've always more energy when I'm in the mountains. You'll be like that as well soon, believe me." With a light grin she added, "Also I think you'll have the wish to bath this morning and if you don't want any visitors, we should possibly go and have a bath now before the others wake up."

Once again sighing, Jess pushed herself up into a sitting position. "Okay, you have a point. Let's go and hurry."

Still smiling, Lindsay nodded, grabbing her towels.

A few minutes later, the two women were standing at the edge of the lake, hidden from the others by a near tree and bushes.

"You know, you're smart for telling me to get up earlier," Jess said while she and Lindsay headed closer to the water, completely naked now. "I'm really not willing to be caught like that by Mac."

"You'd rather be caught like that by Don, right?" Lindsay teased back, instantly earning a glare from her friend.

"Very funny. Want me to go back and tell Danny he can see his favourite country girl nude, bathing in a lake?" she shot back.

Lindsay chuckled. "Okay. Now let's hurry a bit."

With that she set her left foot into the glistering water. Jess followed her. The moment she made the first step into the water, she stopped in her tracks though.

"Oh, shit," she cursed. "That's damn cold! Like you're standing in the middle of antarctica!"

Lindsay laughed. She had goose bumps herself, shivering because of the cold, the water already reaching up to her knees. "When you're completely in, you'll get used to the cold very quickly."

"Are you sure?" Jess asked, not convinced at all. "I'm not sure I'm going to go in there completely..."

"You just have to take that leap," Lindsay answered. With that, she made another huge step, in the same movement sliding forward, gliding into the water completely. She released a light yelp, swimming a few inches before she turned around to Jess who looked at her with huge eyes.

"You're insane, Monroe," she said, shaking her head, causing Lindsay to laugh even more. "There is no way I'll do that as well."

"It's not that horrible. A bit shocking first, but then it's fine. And it's healthy," she replied.

Jess sighed. She hesitated for another moment. Then she followed Lindsay into the cold water. She screamed lightly at the sudden cold.

"If I get a heart attack it's all your fault," she groaned.

The two women swam around in the cold water for a few moments. Lindsay had to admit that it was always a shock when one got into ice cold water like that; she would never fully get used to that. Anyway it also felt good and after a bath like that everyone surely was fully awake.

"It isn't that bad actually," Jess said then. "It's even quite refreshing."

Lindsay nodded. "That it is. I wonder what the others will say when they have to bath in here."

Jess laughed. "I'm sure that especially two certain guys won't be amused."

* * *

When Danny woke up, he was instantly greeted by a sticking pain in his back. Groaning, he rolled onto his side, rubbing the hurting place at the lower of his back.

"Stupid stones," he cursed. "And stupid sleeping bag."

"Can you maybe rant a little quieter?" Flack mumbled from across the tent. "Here are some people who'd like to sleep."

Sighing deeply, Danny glanced at his watch. "I think it's not time for sleeping. We should get up if we don't want Mac to come in here and wake us."

Flack groaned annoyed. "I'm tired, let me sleep."

"I think you slept enough last night," another male voice answered. Looking up, Danny noticed Hawkes who was poking into their tent now. "If I were you, I would get up now. We all are already up. And I'm sure you'll also want to have a little bath in the lake."

"Ew, not really," Danny replied.

Hawkes laughed. "Well, maybe it helps you when I tell you that I saw two certain women going to the late earlier..."

"Yeah, yeah, we'll get up soon," Danny answered, sighing. Chuckling, Hawkes left the tent again. When he was far away enough so he couldn't hear them anymore, he turned back to Flack, who was at least sitting now. "So, you think Lindsay and Jess are bathing in the lake now?"

Flack shrugged. "Possible." He paused briefly before he added, "Maybe they aren't even wearing anything right now."

Danny nodded. "So...you think we should go and have a bath as well?"

"Definitely," Flack answered, moving to get out of his sleeping bag.

When the two men left the tent to head down to the lake, both of them were already busy with thinking about what they could possibly see down there. Neither of them noticed that Lindsay and Jess were sitting at the fireplace together with Stella.

As slowly and carefully as possible, the two men approached the large tree and bushes down at the edge of the lake, making sure they didn't make too many unnecessary noises.

"Don't you think it's mean to...well, watch them while doing that?" Flack asked quietly when they arrived at the tree. They could hear that only a few feet away someone really had to be bathing in the water.

"Nah, I'm sure they would do the same," Danny simply replied.

Carefully they moved closer, inch by inch. They made their way through the bushes, just to have a clear view at whoever was enjoying the cold of the water; just to almost get a heart attack.

"Good morning," Sid greeted the two men, smiling at them.

"Oh my god, Sid!" Flack exclaimed, in shock stumbling backwards.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Danny asked, not less shocked then his friend. Although he desperately wanted to, he couldn't turn his eyes away from the completely naked man in front of them.

"Having a bath, what else?" Sid asked back, obviously not caring a bit about the two visitors. "You had the same idea?"

"Uh...not really," Danny stammered. "Sorry, Sid."

With that he quickly turned away, almost falling over Flack, who was trying to flee as well, silently cursing. "My eyes, dammit." Both didn't have to say anything to agree that surely they wouldn't try something like that again.

* * *

**Preview: Danny, Lindsay, Flack and Jess go out for a little hiking trip together. What will happen?**


	4. A Little Hiking Trip

**A/N: Wow! I don't know how to thank you all for those wonderful reviews! I'm serious, you made me so happy with them! Thank you!!! Also thanks for all the alerts. And to everyone who's reading. Special thanks to Hylen, SuzzieSidle, afrozenheart412, csi-ncis, C3, Desiree1989, DantanaMM, lily moonlight, LacytheDemonicDuck, LuganandReelaForever, Smacked Hard, saturn567, csidle, natabrains, JavaJunkie4evr, royan1985, razmend and Montana Angell!!!**

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****Chapter 4: A Little Hiking Trip**

"That was a stupid idea," Flack muttered while he and Danny headed back to the fireplace where the rest of the team was already sitting. All of them were already busy with breakfast and so hadn't noticed what had been going on down at the lake.

"Who could have known we'd find Sid down there?" Danny replied.

"No one, but we could have known the two girls wouldn't be bathing down there, naked, while everyone could catch them," Flack replied. "One thing I can tell you for sure. I won't go and bath down there. I don't need Mac or anyone else to see me naked. You included."

"If you want to smell like garbage for the next few days," Danny replied, shrugging. "Then you can look for somewhere else to sleep. Not in my tent."

"Your tent? Who said it's yours?" Flack asked back, raising his eyebrows. "Hey, Messer, I'm talking to you!"

Danny only rolled his eyes and sat down at the fireplace as well, Flack following him. They didn't know Mac and Stella had been watching them since they suddenly had returned from the lake, both an amused expression on their faces.

"Do you think we'll have any chance to relax during this trip?" Stella wanted to know, looking over at Danny, Lindsay, Flack and Jess, who were sitting around the fireplace now.

Mac smiled. "We'll see about that. They might cause some problems at the beginning, but I'm sure somewhere along the line they'll even like this trip." With a smirk at Stella, he added, "Just like you."

Stella laughed. "Well, we'll see about that."

Meanwhile Lindsay was still busy with breakfast. Danny and Flack had just joined them, obviously both annoyed by something. Although the two men didn't seem to be in the best mood, she had to fight hard against the urge to grin. Not because she found it funny, no, but because she thought one of them really looked cute while being pissed like that.

"Did something happen?" she couldn't help but ask after watching the men for a moment.

"Nothing," Danny replied. "I'm just not really enjoying being out here, without even having a decent shower or a toilet. That's not what I imagine when I'm talking about a relaxing, nice vacation."

Lindsay had to bite her tongue. She thought about what she could answer in response, but words failed her when Jess nudge her elbow into her side lightly and she looked up just in time to see Sid walking up the small path from the lake. She didn't need much imagination what had caused Danny's and Flack's mood to get even worse.

"What did I say? Nothing is better than seeing Messer and Flack out in the wilderness," Jess whispered into her ear, obviously also needing her whole willpower to not break out into laughter. "It's even worth bathing in a lake."

Lindsay nodded in agreement. "You're so right."

The team finished having breakfast. Apart from Danny and Flack, who were still not willing to accept they had to live without what they were used to back in the city, everyone of them seemed to have spend a surprisingly good first night in their tents.

"I have to say you were right, Mac," Hawkes said, taking a sip from the tea he had made for the team earlier. "I'm feeling much more relaxed already."

"More relaxed?" Adam asked, looking at the doctor with such a surprised look that he caused the others to laugh. "I'm not feeling relaxed at all."

"Maybe you shouldn't pay that much attention to bears that could possibly come and eat you," Flack teased, for the first time since he had gotten up, grinning. "When he saw the look Jess flashed him, he quickly added, "Not that I...didn't think about that at all either..."

Mac exchanged a knowing glance with Stella, who chuckled. The two of them had discussed the idea of a team vacation before. When Stella had found out what exactly Mac had planned for them, she had already expected not everyone of them would be happy about being so far away from any kind of civilization. Mac knew they all would get used to it though, sooner or later. They needed some time off, needed to relax without being around loud noises, stress and shopping centers. Stella hadn't agreed with him completely, but she had wanted to give it a try.

"Before we get deeper into the discussion of whether we want to meet bears or not, maybe we should talk about what we're going to do today," he said then, interrupting the discussion and getting everyone's attention back.

"Let me guess," Danny replied, sighing lightly at what he expected would come next. "We'll have to pack all the stuff together and walk all day until we'll arrive at wherever you want us to stay the next night." The expression in his eyes was saying more than words. After having problems with building up the tent, he wasn't in the mood to pack it together just to build it again in the evening. But at least this time Mac could relieve him.

"No, I decided we'll stay here one more day," he announced. "Yes, actually I've had planned that we'd move every day. But I think for the first-time-hikers among us, this might be a bit too much. Also with a large group like ours, it might cost too much time and afford. We're here to relax, not to stress ourselves. So the new plan says we'll stay here for today and you discover the surrounding area on your own a bit. Don't go too far away from the camping area though, I don't want anyone of you to get lost in the woods. Relax a bit, enjoy the landscape. Tomorrow morning we'll move on from here."

"Sounds like a plan, Mac," Adam said, a relieved smile spread over his face. "Does that also mean we can stay here. In our tents?"

"Wouldn't that be a bit boring?" Sid asked. "There's so much to see here."

But Adam wasn't convinced. "Nah, I rather stay here. Sleep a bit maybe so...I've enough strength for our trip tomorrow."

"I think that's a good idea," Danny supported him. It wasn't like he was in the mood to stay in a tent all day. He knew why Adam wanted to stay on the camping area though; just like him and surely also just like Flack Adam possibly felt safer in his tent than somewhere in the woods. But obviously Mac had other plans.

"If you want to stay in your tents all day, you could have stayed at home," he said. "I've been out here more than once and when you behave the way you've been told to, you should be fine. And now enjoy the day, tomorrow you can look forward to another long day of hiking."

While Adam, Danny and Flack groaned, not all too happy about Mac's answer, their boss turned around to Stella, who was smirking.

"Don't you think you're a bit too hard to them?" she asked amused.

Seeing the smile that lit her face, Mac couldn't help but smile back at her. "They'll be fine," he answered.

"Possibly," Stella replied. "So...do you already have plans what you want to do today?"

Meanwhile the rest of the team had gotten up from their places around the fireplace. Spending a whole day on their own instead of hiking all the time; this had been a nice surprise for them.

"And what are we going to do with all the free time?" Jess asked while she and Lindsay headed back to their tent.

Lindsay shrugged. "We could go swimming again." When she saw the look Jess gave her, remembering how cold their little bath in the morning had been, she laughed. "Or we could walk along the lake a bit."

"Sounds like a plan," Danny replied before Jess could answer. "Would the two of you mind two companions?"

"Didn't you plan on staying in your tent all day?" Lindsay asked back.

"Nah, maybe Mac is right," Danny said, smirking at her. "If we wanted to stay in there, we could have stayed at home as well. Apart from that I'm sure Mac would be more relieved when he knew that two guys accompany the two of you."

Lindsay rolled her eyes at him, couldn't help but laugh though. "Of course you can join us. Especially when this has the side effect that Mac is relieved."

She exchanged a glance with Jess who grinned in response. Yes, Lindsay was convinced that discovering the area around the lake together with Danny and Flack could be funny. And she couldn't help the thought that Mac would be relieved; about them taking care of the men though.

* * *

"You know, actually I shouldn't listen to your ideas at all," Flack told Danny.

Danny, who had been looking through one of his bags, glanced up briefly, giving his best friend a questioning look. "And why not?"

"Because of your first awesome idea this morning so you could get a chance to watch your Lindsay naked I got the wonderful opportunity to catch Sid in his birthday suit," Flack replied sarcastically.

Danny groaned. "Oh, will you ever stop mentioning that? It wasn't my fault, okay? You could have said you don't want to do that, so don't complain. Also I don't really get what going hiking with them has to do with what happened this morning."

"Hello? You and me, two men from the city, hiking around a lake?" Flack sighed. "I really don't know if that's a good idea."

"You act like we're too stupid to go hiking, Don. I think you're a little overreacting," Danny said. "If you rather want to stay here, fine. Then I will go alone with the two..."

"Surely not," Flack interrupted quickly.

Danny rolled his eyes at him. "Oh, come on, Don. As if I would get any close to your Jess."

Flack stared at him for a moment, then he shook his head in disbelief. "Danny, what exactly are we doing here? Your Lindsay. My Jess. Are we insane or something?"

"I'd rather call it denial," Danny shot back, smirking at the look his friend gave him. "Who are we trying to fool? We both know we're interested in them. So, are we going to go with them now or not?"

Flack shrugged. "I think it'd be stupid to say no now, right?"

Danny nodded, grinning satisfied. "Finally we agree." He wanted to add more but stopped when he noticed the shadow of a person approaching their tent. A moment later the entrance of said tent was opened a bit and an all too familiar voice spoke.

"May I come in?" Lindsay asked.

"Sure," Flack said. "We were just talking about you." He grinned when he saw the glare Danny gave him. "We think it's a really nice idea to go hiking with you and Jess."

"That's great," she said, entering the tent. When she had a free view at the inside of what Danny and Flack called their little home currently, Lindsay's eyes widened. "Oh, wow. How did you manage to create such a mess within those few hours?"

Danny and Flack exchanged a look, both men blushing bright red. Lindsay was right. Their tent looked like a total mess. The content of their bags, which included clothes, shoes and other random stuff, was spread everywhere in the tent.

"Did one of your suitcases explode?" Lindsay asked, laughing.

Danny couldn't help but blush even more. Why did they even allow her to enter the tent?

"Uh...you know what, Linds? Don and me are finished in a few, we'll meet you outside your tent?" Danny suggested.

Still laughing, Lindsay nodded. "Don't worry, I'll leave you two alone with your mess now."

With that she left the tent again, leaving the two men embarrassed and with bright red faces.

* * *

Almost half an hour had passed when Flack and Danny finally left their tent. Lindsay and Jess were sitting on the large, old bole of a tree across of the men's tent. The two women had no doubt that the only reason why the two men had needed an entire half an hour to pack their rucksacks and change into comfortable clothes had been the fact that they wanted to play for time. No excuse would help them though; they would use the chance to have a little sightseeing trip around the camp.

"What exactly took you half an hour in there?" Jess asked, shaking her head at them.

"I'm not that surprised," Lindsay replied before any of the men could answer. "Have a look inside there and you know the answer. Takes a while to find something in such a chaos."

While Jess started to laugh, Danny glared at her. "Funny, Montana. If you don't behave I won't protect you when we meet a bear or wolf or something out there." Lindsay only shook her head at him, still laughing at his expression.

Shouldering their rucksacks, they left the camp, heading down the path they had taken earlier to get to the lake. It was a rocky path, covered with pebbles and other tiny stones that started to slide away whenever one of them made a step. Carefully they managed to walk down to the lakeside. Danny and Flack instinctively shared a short glance, both remembering the earlier events when they had caught Sid while having a bath.

"Wow. Just wow," Jess said while they were now following a small trail that led them along the lakeside. The light wind was forming little waves on the usually calm water, which were hitting against the lakeside, sometimes even spraying over to them and onto the stony trail. "The landscape is simply stunning. As much as I love the city of New York, the busy streets and knowing there's a shop for everything, such a quiet and beautiful area is exactly what you need from time to time."

Lindsay smiled at the comment. She knew Jess always had been one of those who had been looking forward to the trip, although she also had been hesitant when she had realised there were no kind of sanitary equipment anywhere. Obviously she enjoyed the trip as much as she did, which was nice to know.

"That's true," she said then. "It's the best way to escape the stress and the noises in the city. It just feels good to be surrounded by nothing else but nature. It never failed to calm me down and make me relax. You're feeling so free, so independent. No matter how much stress you have or how much you're worrying, nothing of that counts when you're out here."

Danny had already been prepared to make a comment at the women's love for their current location. He changed his mind though when he heard Lindsay's whole speech. He didn't need to hear more to know this vacation was more for her than just a nice distraction from work. Ever since she had started to work for the crime lab in New York, he had wondered how she had to feel like, so far away from her home, living in a busy, huge city instead of in the quiet, peaceful country of her home state. Now she had the chance to be back in this familiar territory. Was it a surprise her eyes had been sparkling ever since Mac had announced they'd go to Montana for a camping trip? Despite what she was telling, she had to miss her old home and now she was back and clearly enjoying it.

Of course Danny couldn't deny he could imagine a better place for a vacation. Once again getting confirmed that she was so happy about the trip, he was determined not to start whining again. He didn't want to ruin the fun for her. He wasn't used to vacations like that, but he would try his best. And even he couldn't deny the landscape was impressive.

"Oh, look," Lindsay suddenly pointed out. When everyone turned into the direction she wanted them to, she added, "Squirrels. Those little guys are just too adorable." With a grin she added, "And no, Danny, I never shot a squirrel with a slingshot."

Chuckling, Danny shook his head at her, too caught by the beauty of her smile to say anything in response. Jess though had her full attention turned to the little animal, that was sitting on a stone near the water, watching them with its soft, brown eyes. It wasn't even that far away and Danny was surprised it didn't just run away, surely not used to humans being around.

"Hey you little guy," she cooed, slowly approaching the little animal, making sure she didn't make any too quick moves. "You're a cute little thing." To Lindsay she added, "Do you think he'll let me pet him?"

"Why do you want to pet a squirrel?" Flack asked, making a disgusted face. "It's not that...bad looking. But it's an animal. A wild animal."

"And a cute animal," Jess replied.

"So you have to touch it?" Flack wanted to know, raising his eyebrows. When she nodded, he added, "I will never understand why women have to touch everything that's cute."

"You wouldn't complain if she touched you though," Danny said, just loud enough only Flack could hear him, instantly earning a glare from his best friend. Lindsay, who had heard the little comment as well, grinned.

"Come here, little squirrel." Jess kept on approaching the animal. Just before she had managed to reach it though, it jumped away and disappeared into a near bush, leaving Jess with a disappointed look.

"Oh no, I should have known it," she sighed.

"I'm sure there are plenty of other squirrels out there that won't be that stupid and will love to be touched by you, Jess," Flack replied, smirking at her.

While Jess looked up at Flack, smiling back at him, Lindsay had to bite her tongue to not laugh. "If they know how obvious they are?" she whispered.

Danny, who was standing next to her, shrugged. "Obviously not. Not yet at least."

A few minutes later the four friends continued their walk around the lake. Neither of them, no matter whether they loved the trip or not, could complain about the weather. Danny caught himself more than once by secretly watching Lindsay. The young woman had a smile plastered over her face all the time.

"It's so wonderful to be here, even if you guys possibly don't feel the same way," she said after a while, so quiet even he had barely heard her.

"Even though you possibly won't believe me, I really start to like it here as well," Danny told her. When she looked at him in surprise, he added, "It's true. It might not be my dream vacation but you're right about the relaxing part. It's nice here."

Lindsay's already broad smile widened. "That's so great to hear."

While Danny smiled back at Lindsay, satisfied that he had made her happy with his statement, neither of them knew their two friends had been listening to the little conversation as well. Flack and Jess exchanged a brief glance, both a knowing smile on their faces. Neither of the couples were aware of the thoughts of the others though, not knowing how obvious their chemistry was to everyone.

* * *

**Preview: The hiking trip continues, so does the flirting between Danny, Lindsay, Flack and Jess. And Adam gets into an embarrassing situation.**


	5. Dangerous Animals, Dangerous Plants

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews!!! And for reading and for adding this fic to your favourites and alerts. Special thanks to Hylen, DantanaMM, afrozenheart412, Montana Angell, lily moonlight, Desiree1989, Cowboy's Montana, SMacked Hard and saturn567! :)  
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****Chapter 5: Dangerous Animals, Dangerous Plants**

Walking around the lake was nicer than Danny and Flack had expected. Although the only reason why they had agreed to the little kind of sightseeing tour had been the fact that two certain women had wanted them to, they couldn't deny they could understand why Lindsay loved being in the wilderness so much. There was something about this quiet and peace that made them feel better. Stress and work seemed to be so many miles away. It didn't matter out there, where no one was around them but animals and their team members.

It was around midday and so far the four friends had been walking without resting. Walking in the for spring already surprisingly warm sun was exhausting them though and so it was Lindsay who suggested to stop.

"I think we should rest for a bit," she said, setting down her rucksack. "Maybe we could have a little picnic. It's midday and usually we'd have lunch now I'd say."

"Sounds like a plan," Danny agreed, already tossing his rucksack next to hers.

Flack nodded in agreement. "I've already been wondering when you'd suggest that."

Lindsay and Jess had already pulled a large blanket out of Jess's rucksack and laid it down near the edge of the lake before Lindsay started to unpack her own rucksack, fishing small boxes filled with sandwiches, vegetables and fruits out of it. Danny and Flack watched them with surprise.

"How did you know we'd need all that stuff?" Flack asked with raised eyebrows. "I thought we just wanted to hike a bit. It wasn't really planned it was going to be that long."

"Always be prepared," Jess answered, grinning at him. "That's what women always do. We don't run around without being prepared for every possible situation."

"So you want to tell me you women always run around with sandwiches and water bottles in your rucksacks?" Danny wanted to know.

Lindsay chuckled. "While being out here? Yes. Now grab something to eat. We know you guys are already close to starving."

"Still I wonder how you managed to do all that," Flack said while the four grabbed sandwiches and vegetables, enjoying their little picnic. All of them had to admit they were really hungry already. "How did you manage to make such delicious sandwiches in no time?"

"Oh, Jess made them," Lindsay answered, throwing a short glance at Jess, who instantly blushed lightly.

"Really?" Flack gave her an impressed look. "Wow, Jess, never thought you could make such awesome sandwiches. Another talent of yours I just discovered."

Jess blushed bright red. "Oh, it's just something my Mom always did for me and my brothers when we went out into the park for some baseball. I asked her how she made them and she showed me, that's all."

"Maybe you could make me sandwiches more often?" Flack asked, winking at her.

Bright red like a tomato, Jess shrugged. "Sure, why not."

While Flack kept on talking about how much he loved sandwiches, especially the ones Jess made, Danny and Lindsay exchanged a knowing look.

"I have to say I'm glad women are always prepared," Danny said then, taking a large bite from the sandwich. "Honestly, I didn't even think about taking anything to eat or to drink with me."

Lindsay chuckled. "That's only because you're not used to spending your days like this. I'm sure your Sundays usually look completely different."

"Oh yeah," Danny admitted. "Usually I would possibly still be lying in bed. Then I would get up, grab something to eat maybe. Later I would watch something, would possibly meet Flack. Or I would visit my family, which I also sometimes do on Sundays."

"Or you're trying to find out how to get home from whoever's place you've woken up at," Lindsay added. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

Playfully shocked, Danny stared at her, hardly able to prevent himself from laughing though. "So? You think that's what I'm doing on a random weekend? Hooking up with some random girl and then find myself at her place the next morning?"

"I don't know. Do you?" Lindsay didn't even know why, but for some reason she was really interested in the answer for that question. Was he really doing what people at work gossiped about him? Was he really out every weekend to hunt for a date? Of course she tried to tell herself it didn't really matter because first she didn't care and second this wasn't her business. If she was honest to herself though, she knew exactly what she wanted to hear.

"What do you think?" Danny asked then, grinning at her. But before either of them could say more, it was Flack, who gave the answer.

"Don't listen to him, Linds," he shouted over to her. "He's not that playboy kind of a guy people always make him look like. He's not even dating anymore." His grin widened when Danny glared at him angrily. "What, Messer? It's the truth."

"Yeah, and possibly you could mind your own business, Flack?" he shot back. "Chat about sandwiches, not about me."

Still grinning, Flack turned his attention back to Jess to continue their previous talk. Now blushing a bit himself, Danny looked back at Lindsay, who had a hard time with hiding her satisfied smile.

"So? Is there a special reason why you're not even dating anymore?" she wanted to know. Now that she had started this topic, she wanted to go on with it, trying to find out how much more she could learn about him.

Danny sighed. "No, not really. I'm just not in the mood for stuff like that. I've had more than enough meaningless relationships. Either I find something serious or I just stay single."

"But if you don't date you also won't find anyone for anything serious," Lindsay said.

Danny knew there was actually only one fitting answer for this comments of her. He wouldn't tell her that he had already found a person he could imagine something serious with; her. Briefly he glanced over at Flack, relieved noticing his friend was too busy with listening to Jess's explanation about how exhausting it was to have four brothers. Turning back to Lindsay, he decided it was the best to stop her from asking even more questions about him.

"Possibly, but what about you? How do you spend your weekends? Are you...dating anyone?" Danny felt like he was in highschool, asking the girl whether she already was going with the famous boy from the baseball team or not. It had been her who had started this little interrogation, so there was nothing wrong with him asking as well.

"I'm not dating anyone and before you ask that as well, no, I didn't date anyone since I came to New York. And before you ask me why, I'm just not in the mood for all the stress. I still need to get used to being in the city," she answered, hoping she had been able to answer every possible question he could come up with. Of course she wouldn't admit that the only reason why she wasn't even thinking about dating was the fact that she was attracted to him since she had seen him for the first time. To her luck Danny, although the fact that she wasn't dating had satisfied him, had also paid attention to what else she had said.

"It must be weird to live in New York," he said, showing her his honest interest. "Have you been out in the country every weekend?"

"Not every weekend," Lindsay answered. "But I haven't really spent much time at home. I've visited my family a lot for example. Or I just sat down in my car and drove along the streets, only the endless landscape surrounding me. You could drive for hours and nothing else but fields, forest and mountains were to see. Often I went for little hiking trips or just walked through the forest for a bit, or had a picnic at a lake. Those wilderness trips I did as well, but not that often. I usually didn't do them alone, it can be dangerous to be out here alone, even when you're used to it."

Danny nodded. "You've spent a lot of time on your own?"

"Yeah, pretty often," Lindsay replied. "Not that I didn't meet anyone. Most of my friends were friends from work though. We often went out to a bar during the week, so at the weekend I enjoyed being on my own a bit. And there is no way you can enjoy the beauty of nature more than when no one is there to distract you." Blushing lightly at what she was saying, she added, "Now you really must see me as nothing else but a country girl."

"No, I just think you're a very interesting person," Danny answered before he could censor himself. When she saw the surprised look, he quickly added, "I really like how you...enjoy being here so much. Maybe you can make me enjoy the quiet as much as you do during the time we're here."

Lindsay smiled. "I'm sure when we have to go back, you'll miss it as much as I always did."

There was one more thing he was sure he'd miss; those little, almost intimate conversations between them. Danny and Lindsay had met a couple of times outside of work. Usually their other friends had been around as well, but moments like this, where the other were there, too, but still gave them the chance to have such private talks were very rare.

* * *

The four friends remained at the lake for around half an hour until they decided they should go back to the camp. They still had to walk back the whole way they had come from, so it would possibly already be around afternoon when they would arrive. The former conversations and the sudden privacy the four had shared had left them in a strange shape though, so they walked in silence for a while. It was Flack who started to speak first.

"I have to say, so far I really wonder where all those dangerous animals are this guy talked about," he said. Of course he was still throwing nervous glances around himself whenever he heard a noise. With the forest so near, he was always expecting some kind of wild animal to suddenly attack them, but because this hadn't happened so far, he was almost calm and relaxed now.

"Well, at least we already met squirrels," Danny said, causing Flack to give him a disbelieving look.

"You want to tell me squirrels are dangerous for you?" he asked.

Jess laughed. "I think what he meant is that at least we met some wild animals already. Animals that aren't spoiled because they're used to being fed by people."

"Still we didn't meet any dangerous animals," Flack repeated.

"Then be glad," Lindsay told him, biting her tongue to not grin. She knew exactly that both, Danny and Flack were still scared because of Jake's former description. "I think during the next few days we'll spend out here, we'll meet at least one dangerous animal."

"You're sure about that?" Danny asked. "I mean...that's not necessarily going to happen, right?"

Lindsay shrugged. "Sure, we could have the bad luck and not meet any animals, but I really don't think that'll happen."

"I wouldn't call that bad lu..." Flack started to reply, but stopped in his tracks. "What the hell was that? Tell me I just imagined what I just saw."

The other three stopped as well, staring into the direction their friend was staring at.

"What did you see?" Lindsay wanted to know, stepping next to him.

"I have no idea," Flack answered. "There was a movement. I don't think it was a bear, it more looked like some kind of deer."

"Maybe a moose?" Danny asked, his almost frightened expression mirroring the one of Flack. "Hopefully not. Didn't this guy say that they're almost as dangerous as bears?"

Lindsay only nodded in response. Most people thought deer wasn't something they had to be afraid of. With moose, this looked completely different though. They weren't just tall but also unpredictable. Jake had been right when he had told them they were almost as dangerous as grizzly bears. Narrowing her eyes, she tried to make out what Flack had discovered between the trees. A moment later, a relieved smile lit her face though.

"What is it?" Jess asked. Other than the guys, she didn't try to hide she wasn't all too amused about the prospect to possibly meet a moose.

"Nothing bad. You guys can calm down again," she answered. "That's just a normal white-tailed deer. It's not dangerous, no worries."

"You sure about that?" Danny asked, now daring to step next to his friends as well.

Lindsay nodded. "Yeah. Look how small it is. This isn't even coming close to how tall a moose is."

Now that he knew the animal wasn't dangerous, Danny grinned at Flack. "And you thought this looks like a moose? This tiny thing?"

Blushing, Flack glared at him. "As if you would have known that. All I noticed was that some animal with antlers moved over there. Also I didn't stand over there until I knew everything's fine."

Jess shook her head at the two men. "And you two told us you want to protect us? Luckily Lindsay knows so much about those animals, otherwise you would have been running and screaming till you'd arrive at the camp."

Both men were blushing now, neither of them really wanting to contradict. Seeing them like that, Lindsay almost felt pitiful.

"I've been scared by lots of harmless animals before, so it's not just you," she answered. "If we want to arrive at the camp this afternoon, we should keep on walking though."

Her three friends nodded in agreement. The rest of the way back to the camp, neither of the four met any animals that could have scared them, not even squirrels. Like planned, they arrived in the afternoon, at this point all of them exhausted and hardly able to keep themselves on walking. They were greeted by Mac, who was sitting at the fireplace with Stella, making them wonder if he had even left this location.

"Hey," he greeted them. "You've been away for a pretty long time."

Danny and Flack, both glad they could finally sit down, joined him at the fireplace.

"Yep," Flack answered. "We've been on a little sightseeing tour along that lake and had a picnic."

"And our two boys got scared by a white-tailed deer," Jess added to complete the short summary of their day, winking at the two men.

"Oh, I hope you had a nice day then," Mac replied, throwing a quick glance at Stella, who smiled knowingly. Danny and Flack had agreed to such a long hiking trip with picnic? That was a first.

"We did," Lindsay answered, together with Jess sitting down next to Danny and Flack. "But what did you guys do? And where are the others?"

"Stella and I stayed here, taking care of the camp," Mac answered, ignoring the smiles from all four of his colleagues. "So did Adam. Hawkes and Sid have been out for a little hiking trip as well."

"Where is Adam?" Danny wanted to know.

"Looking for some kind of toilet in the forest," Mac answered simply.

Danny and Flack exchanged a look, both forcing themselves to not break out into laughter. Adam was even more scared than them since he knew about what kinds of animals he could possibly meet. And having to go into the forest for this kind of business? They could clearly imagine how the man was feeling now. But before either of them could make a comment, they already spotted Adam, half walking half running back to the camp. His face was saying more than words.

"Yo Adam, you met some nice animals in your...bathroom?" Flack shouted.

Almost breathless, Adam arrived, shaking his head. "No, but...even worse."

"That means?" Lindsay wanted to know.

Adam's face blushed bright red. "I...uh...wanted to hurry to get out of that forest again, you know, not to meet some grizzly bear or something, so I didn't pay that much attention to what I chose as my...bathroom, you know. And then..."

Knowing exactly what would come next, Lindsay had to cover her mouth with her hand to hide her grin.

"What?" Danny asked, who had already noticed her struggling with laughing.

"I...uh...well, maybe someone should have told me there are also...dangerous plants growing. Like poison ivy."

"What?" Mac stared up at Adam in disbelief. "Don't tell me you just sat down in a bush of poison ivy!"

Adam looked more and more comfortable by the minute. "Don't give me that look, Mac, it's burning like hell already."

While Mac kept on staring at Adam, Danny, Lindsay, Flack and Jess briefly looked at each other, all four of them understanding what the others were thinking.

"I think we better...leave you alone and...rest a bit," Danny managed to say, forcing himself to speak without laughing. "You...uh...should let Hawkes or Sid check that out maybe, Adam."

The others didn't add more. Instead all four got up and left the fireplace, all of them glad when they were out of reach and could break out into laughter. The four had enjoyed their little hiking trip and it had been a great way for them to get closer to each other. Danny and Lindsay had used the chance to learn a bit more about each other. Flack and Jess had been doing the same. And all of them agreed they were looking forward to the next day.

* * *

**Preview: The hiking trip continues. What will happen when the team members have to hike in groups?**


	6. Of Dreams And Teams

**A/N: Thanks for the sweet feedback! I'm happy you liked the story so far! Also thanks to everyone for reading and for adding the fic! Special thanks to buddymt96, Montana Angell, afrozenheart412, lily moonlight, saturn567, csi-ncis, DantanaMM and Hylen!**

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**Chapter 6: Of Dreams And Teams**

When Danny woke up and found himself inside the tent again, he wasn't all too amused. Sleeping in the middle of nowhere, only in a tent, practically sleeping on the ground wasn't something he enjoyed too much. He was used to his large king sized bed and he would never change this into a ground pat and a sleeping bag. He loved his bed and this here he only did because he rather was here than at work. And because he wanted to be around Lindsay of course.

Turning around in his sleeping bag, he wanted to check if Flack was awake as well already. To his surprise he found the other half of the tent empty. Since when did his friend get up earlier than him? Usually one had to kick Flack out of his bed. Today was different obviously.

But before Danny could wonder about why his friend wasn't lying next to him anymore, a shadow approached the tent. A moment later the zipper was pulled up again and Lindsay entered.

"Good morning," he greeted, surprised by his unexpected visitor.

"Good morning to you, too, cowboy," Lindsay greeted back, in a voice that surprised him even more. Was she seriously sounding...seductive?

"You...uh...saw Don?" he asked, not sure what to think about the whole situation.

Lindsay shook her head. "Surely he's visiting Jess." Smirking at him she crouched over to him. Danny could only stare at him, totally confused. What was going on now?

"Montana, I..." he tried to say, but his voice trailed off at the look she was giving him. She was kneeling next to him now, still this very seductive smile on her lips. This sight was already enough to turn him on. He knew better than simply grabbing her though. But obviously he didn't even have to do that.

"It's still very early and I thought maybe...well, you'd like to spend some time with me. Alone." The alone she almost whispered, the soft sound of her voice sending shivers down his spine. She was straddling him now, hovering above him just high enough there wasn't any body contact but low enough to make him almost feel her. Slowly she sat down on his legs, running her hands up his chest. Even though his shirt was separating his bare chest from her hands, he could practically feel them burning on his sensitive skin.

"I know you want me, as much as I want you," she whispered, her brown eyes locking with his. Still Danny could only stare up at her, speechless by the sudden turn of events. When she still didn't get any response from him, her smirk widened. Slowly she lowered her body until she was pressed flush against him. Ever so slowly she slid up his body, every inch of her seeming to be in contact with him. Danny knew Lindsay was well aware of what she was doing to him with that; the evidence she should be clearly feel while having such close contact to him.

"Do you think that's a...good idea?" he asked, swallowing hard. "I mean Mac..."

Lindsay laughed. "And you told him we're no highschool kids, right? You were so right with that."

And before Danny could comment, her lips crashed down onto his. Instinctively his hands came to rest on Lindsay's hips, pulling her closer. Both quickly got lost in the kiss and the almost overwhelming passion it brought with it. Wanting the control back over the situation, Danny pressed her even tighter against him, rolling them over.

"Whoa, what the hell are you doing?"

The loud voice of Flack was it that caused Danny to wake up. Totally confused he blinked a few times, trying to get used to the light.

"Lindsay?" he asked.

"No, Don, and I would be very happy if you could go back to your half of the tent, Messer," Flack's voice shouted at him.

Blinking again, Danny realised that he was really not alone in the tent. But instead of next to his country girl from Montana, he was lying next to Flack, who was staring at him, only inches separating their faces. Within an instant, he backed off, rolling back to his side of the tent.

"What the hell..." he said, giving his friend a disgusted look. "Why didn't you just push me back?"

"What do you think I did?" Flack asked, rolling his eyes. "Obviously you were convinced I'm Lindsay though."

At the mention of the young woman, Danny blushed. So everything had just been a dream? What else had he expected?

"Was the dream at least worth the attack?" Flack wanted to know, now fully awake and so sitting up.

Danny sighed deeply. "It was just that; a dream. As if..."

"Oh, come on, Messer," Flack interrupted him groaning. "You and Lindsay... it's only a question of time until there'll be something going on between the two of you. Ask me, ask Jess, ask everyone."

"Says the one who is flirting with said Jess whenever he sees her," Danny replied, shaking his head. "Oh Jess, your sandwiches are sooo amazing... Come on, Don."

The two men stared at each other for a moment, both blushing, before they broke out into laughter.

"I just hope no one else knows how crazy we are," Flack said then.

"I hope so, too," Danny replied. He couldn't deny that he was almost sure the others could see the sparks between them and the women as well.

* * *

Like the day before, Lindsay and Jess had been the first ones who had woken up. Now Mac, Stella and Hawkes had joined them as well. A few minutes later, also Danny and Flack left their tents to have breakfast with them. The only ones missing were Sid and Adam.

"Where are the two?" Lindsay asked. After Adam's meeting with the poison ivy, she hadn't seen him outside his tent anymore.

"He might possibly still be dealing with the aftereffects of his search for a toilet," Danny couldn't help but answer. When Lindsay's eyes met his, he blushed lightly, instantly remembering his earlier dream.

"I wouldn't joke about it, this could have happened to you, too," Mac replied. "Sid took care of him, luckily he had something against the infection."

"Sid helped him with that?" Flack asked, not even trying to hide his disgusted expression. "Don't tell me he did..."

"Don't put that image into our minds, please," Jess stopped him, shaking her head to clear her mind.

"I'm sure Sid has a nice story for a situation like this," Hawkes said, causing the others to laugh. Surely Sid had come up with something he could tell Adam about a similar moment like this, and the poor man wouldn't have had any other chance but listen.

As if they had heard the team was talking about them, Sid and Adam left the tent. Like every morning, Sid was fully awake and in a good mood. Adam though didn't look happy at all. According to his facial expression, he was both, in pain and feeling awkward.

"How's your backside doing?" Flack asked.

Adam's face reddened lightly. "Just don't ask, okay?"

"But you're feeling better, aren't you?" Mac asked, giving his other team members, especially the male ones, a warning look. "Or do you need us to stay here for another day?"

Adam shook his head. "It's fine, boss. As long as I'm walking. Also this stuff Sid gave me is working I think."

Mac nodded. "Okay, good then." While Adam joined them at the fireplace, Mac turned his attention back to his team members. "Like I told you, we won't spend another day at this place here. Like you possibly saw, there's a trail leading away from here. For a while it'll lead us along the lake, with the forest to our other side. After a while we'll have to leave the lake and follow the trail up into the forest. This might be a bit more difficult, so don't walk too fast at first. You'll need your strength later. Our next stop should be around evening. Our next camp will be near a river, in the forest up in the mountains. Don't worry, you don't have to do any kind of climbing. The area is just a bit higher than where we're now."

Listening to Mac's plans for the day, Lindsay's smile had widened with every word their boss had spoken. How many times had she spent a weekend with doing exactly that; hiking, enjoying the beauty of the mountains. She felt how Jess took her arm.

"You have done that before, right?" she whispered into her ear. "Not that I'm afraid or something, but I have the feeling only Mac and you are really knowing what we're doing here and before I get lost or fall down a cliff, I would be very glad if I could be around you as much as possible."

Lindsay chuckled. "I think that shouldn't be a problem, Jess."

Jess smiled. "And of course we also have to take care of Messer and Flack. Those two don't look like they have ever set a foot onto a mountain."

Carefully Lindsay glanced into the direction of the two men. To her surprise she didn't find them with scared expressions anymore. It was exactly how she had expected; they were slowly getting used to their new environment. They possibly even liked it. This might change though; Lindsay knew how hard and exhausting hiking in the mountains could be.

"I want us to walk in groups," Mac continued then. "I don't want anyone of you to get lost or hurt."

"That's absolutely no problem, boss," Danny answered. "I'm sure we..."

"I already decided who'll be together," Stella interrupted him. "Because we're nine people, we can create three groups. Mac, Hawkes and I will be the first group. Don, Jess and Sid will make the second one and Danny, Lindsay and Adam will be in the third group." She ignored the look Mac was giving her and added, "I think it's a good idea. You guys will follow us, but for the case you might be too slow or something, every group has someone who knows how to handle such a situation. Sid and Lindsay will lead the two groups of you. Listen to them and do what they tell you." A smirk lit her face when she saw the surprised looks that were exchanged. "Does anyone have a problem with that?" Glancing down at Mac, she gave him a warning look.

"Uh...no, not really," Flack answered, looking as confused as everyone else.

Stella grinned satisfied. "Alright. Then I'd say get up and pack your stuff. We'll start in an hour." Without contradicting, the team members got up.

"Looks like we won't be able to hike together," Jess said quietly while she and Lindsay headed back to their tent.

"I'm sure Sid will be a good group leader as well," Lindsay whispered back. With a wink she added, "And come on, I don't think having Don in your group is something you want to complain about."

"Same with you and Danny," Jess replied, winking back at her friend.

Meanwhile Mac was still sitting at the fireplace, staring up at Stella in disbelief. Stella, who knew exactly what he was thinking, gave him an innocent look.

"What's wrong, Mac?" she asked, trying to not grin.

"You know what you just did? Teaming up Danny, Lindsay, Adam and Flack, Jess, Sid? Actually I decided to go in teams because I wanted all of us to be safe."

"Sid and Lindsay will be great group leaders," Stella answered. "Danny will do everything Lindsay says, Adam won't contradict anyway in his current shape. Sid will take care of Jess and Flack and when they don't want to listen to his stories all the time, they will behave. And our group? Well, I thought maybe you wanted to enjoy the beauty of this trip without being the babysitter."

Although Mac still wasn't completely convinced, he couldn't help but smile at Stella's thoughts. "That was a nice idea of you. I just hope it works."

"Of course it will," Stella answered, smiling. And of course she wouldn't tell him there was one more reason why she had made those decisions; she was hoping to have some quiet time with him as well.

* * *

Exactly an hour later, all team members had managed to pack their rucksacks. This time no one of them had had any problems with the tents. For the first time since he had announced they would go camping in Montana, Mac could see excitement on all of his co-worker's faces.

He couldn't help but think that possibly this mostly had to do with Stella's decision regarding the groups. As much as Mac tried to stay away from the private lives of his friends and colleagues, he knew exactly that there was much more than just friendship-like interest between Danny and Lindsay and between Flack and Jess. Being together in groups, with the prospect of spending a whole day together had to be exciting for them.

"Alright," he said then. "Looks like we got everything. Like planned, you'll follow us. You don't have to be as fast or as slow as us. I handed plans to Sid and Lindsay and marked the path we'll follow. Please take care of each other. I'm sure the groups will separate with the time. That's okay, it's just important you take care of every of your group members. Don't get lost and don't leave anyone behind. For the case you have problems, use the walkie-talkies I gave you. I marked the place where our next camp will be at. Whoever arrives first, waits for the others."

After everyone had agreed, the groups got together. "I hope Sid won't spend the whole day with telling us stories," Flack said quietly. "Especially not those...strange one he tends to tell sometimes, you know what I mean."

Jess chuckled. "If he starts going to...how did Hawkes call it? This creepy place, we'll just try to distract him with a story of ourselves."

Flack grinned. "Like telling him about chasing down a suspect and ending up in the mud?"

Jess laughed. "Exactly, something like that. I'm sure we can be quite happy with our group."

"Definitely," Flack answered, this time serious. The two of them looked at each other for a moment, both smiling. Neither of them could deny they were happy about their group; the prospect of spending a whole day together again was more than nice.

"Okay, guys, I'd say we start now," Sid interrupted them. Flack and Jess both blushed lightly, before they nodded and followed Sid.

Meanwhile Adam had joined Danny and Lindsay, who were already waiting for him. He didn't look like he was in pain anymore, still didn't look happy either though.

"Can you do me a favour?" he asked. "I mean, I know it's funny, but...please no jokes about this poison stuff anymore. And can we please not run too fast?"

"Oh, Adam," Danny replied, although he loved to tease his friend sounding serious this time. "Who do you think we are? I promise, no jokes and we'll make sure you don't have to walk faster as it's comfortable for you, okay?"

Adam looked relieved. "Thanks, guys." To Lindsay he added, "And you're sure you know how to follow this plan? We won't get lost out there?"

"I will try my best," Lindsay answered, smiling comforting. "I've been hiking so many times, you'll see, we'll have a lot of fun.

Danny nodded. "I'm sure we will."

Lindsay smiled at Danny, causing him to shiver lightly. He loved this smile of her; warm and friendly. Of course he wouldn't tease Adam; he liked his friend, but he'd also be too busy with enjoying their little trip through the wilderness. He had to admit Stella's idea to team them up had been great; luckily it had been her who had decided and not Mac. So it was no surprise all of the team members were looking forward to their hiking trip.

* * *

**Preview: Danny tries to impress Lindsay. Adam shows he's a good friend. Sid has a special comment for Flack and Jess.**


	7. Out Here In The Mountains

**A/N: Huge thanks for all the sweet reviews, I'm happy you liked the chapter! Also thanks for reading and for adding it! Special thanks to natabrains, afrozenheart412, lily moonlight, DantanaMM, saturn567, Hylen, CSINYBabyy, royan1985, jmc715, Black Raven Midnight, Desiree1989, Montana Angell and SMacked Hard!**

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****Chapter 7: Out Here In The Mountains**

When Mac had decided he wanted to go on vacation with his team members and friends, it had taken him a while to decide where he wanted to go to with them. Of course he could have chosen some nice hotel near a beach or a spa where they could relax. But Mac had had other plans with them. What they really needed was some time away from the city, any city. In Mac's eyes there was no better way to relax than being out in the wilderness, with nothing else around them but quiet and peace. No schedules, no busy noises, no other tourists. Just them.

For Mac, this had always worked perfectly. He knew from different conversations with Lindsay that back home in Montana, the young woman had been camping a lot as well. He could be sure she would like his idea and would support it. Knowing his team, he was expecting she might be the only one liking their trip though.

Mac hadn't been that wrong with his suspicion. Sid and Jess had liked the idea as well, Lindsay had loved the idea. Hawkes had been glad he could leave work. Stella had been unsure, just like Adam, while Danny and Flack hadn't been amused at all. Nothing that had surprised Mac. But right now there was something else to witness, and now he was surprised. Suddenly everyone seemed to be in a good mood. When he had told them about hiking in the mountains and camping in the forest, he hadn't heard anyone complain. Instead all of them seemed to be looking forward to the trip.

"Are you okay, Mac?" Stella asked. She, Mac and Hawkes had been wandering for a while already and after Mac hadn't added a single comment to the conversation she had had with the doctor, she started to wonder.

"Sure," Mac answered. "I was just thinking about how successful your plan was. Apart from my worries that one of our groups might get lost somewhere, I'm now pretty much convinced it was a good idea to team them up like that. Obviously this was what they needed to get motivated."

Stella laughed. "See, that's when you have a close look at what your co-workers are doing apart from work. And about the getting lost part; I'm sure they'll all be fine. They're all able to read maps."

Mac sighed. "Yeah, I know." Still he was convinced that simply walking up to their next camp area wasn't what was going to happen.

* * *

For a while now, the second group, including Sid, Flack and Jess, had been following the first group now. They were still walking along the lake, on a stony path like the one Flack and Jess had been following with Danny and Lindsay the day before. The view they had was simply impressive; Jess had a hard time with looking at where she was actually walking. The deep blue colour of the lake seemed to be more beautiful than any sapphire could be. The large mountains with their snowy tops and the tall, green trees were mirroring in the clear surface. She couldn't get enough of the sight.

Flack also wouldn't deny he liked the view in front of him, expect with the difference he wouldn't be speaking about the landscape then. Too much he was caught by Jess's expression; she was so in awe by what she was seeing she didn't even notice him watching her. Flack needed his whole willpower to not grin. He liked to watch her; who wouldn't like to watch a pretty woman like her?

"I have to say, I don't really mind the fact we don't have any showers out here," Sid suddenly said, causing both of them to snap out of their thoughts.

"What?" Jess asked.

Sid nodded towards the lake. "Who needs a shower when you have such clean water to bath in? And a cold bath is good for the skin."

Flack winced lightly at the thought that the day before he had just caught Sid during such a bath.

"I think I prefer a shower though," Jess said. "The warm water...At least you don't get a heart attack when you step under the water."

Sid laughed. "That's true indeed. That's what my wife said as well when we've been out camping once. We also had to bath in a lake back then, or under a waterfall. I have to say there is something about bathing under a waterfall with you wife..."

And while Sid continued his description of said holidays, Jess and Flack exchanged a brief glance. They were too polite to interrupt and tell their friend they didn't need so many details. Then again both of them were slightly worried what other stories they would hear during their hiking trip.

* * *

At the beginning the distance between the individual groups had been minimal. After a while the first group, which was much faster than the other two, was barely to see anymore for the third group. They had reached the forest now and also were leaving the low level of the area they had been at earlier. Wandering became more exhausting now and they had to take care of every of their steps if they didn't want to trip and fall.

Watching Lindsay, Danny was amazed by the young woman's condition. So far she didn't seem to be exhausted or tired in any way, although they had been hiking for hours already. He himself was still feeling alright, didn't know how long it would stay like this. Poor Adam though didn't look all too comfortable anymore; something both of them had noticed already.

"Adam, do you need a break?" Lindsay asked after a while. They were following a small, rocky path that was leading along a small but wild river a few feet below them on one side. They were surrounded by thick forest and mountains.

"Oh, no, no, I'm great," Adam lied, trying to smile.

Danny sighed. "Adam, you wanted us to not run through the forest too fast, right? And now when we ask you if you need a break, you say no?"

Adam threw a hesitant look up the path, where even the second group was already far in the distance. "I just don't want us to be too slow."

"The other groups will have to have a break as well somewhere along the line," Lindsay told him. "And it doesn't really matter if they're faster than us. We take the time we need and that's fine. We have a map which we can follow."

Adam still didn't seem to be entirely convinced. But Danny knew all their friend wanted was to stop and so he simply set his rucksack down onto the ground and sat down on the bole of an old tree. "If you ask me, I'd like to eat something now," he said.

Chuckling, Lindsay sat down next to him, a relieved Adam following them. There was no need to hurry. They weren't doing this trip for training or to look who could hike the fastest. It was a trip to relax and enjoy the beauty of the landscape. And now it was about time to have a little picnic.

* * *

When Flack had heard they would have to walk another whole day, hiking through forest and the mountains, he hadn't been sure if he should be amused about that. Now he found himself still not tired although they had been walking for hours. He wasn't sure if Sid's endlessly long stories had caused him to keep on walking or the fact he didn't want to seem to be weak in front of Jess. The woman seemed to be fit as well, even enjoying what they were doing.

"This is a lot different from walking around the streets of New York," he said, wiping his arm over his forehead. Although it was spring, it was already pretty warm.

Jess nodded. "Oh yes. Very different. I have to say it's something one should do from time to time. It feels good; the fresh air, the quiet, the sounds of nature. I love New York, but I think everyone needs some moments like this."

Flack chuckled. "I'm not sure other women would agree with that."

Jess smiled. "You know, I don't really like window shopping. When it comes to clothes, I'm always two years behind."

"Really?" Flack looked at her with a smirk. "I have to say you have a really nice style, Jess."

While Jess blushed, Sid chuckled. "It's always nice to see," he said.

Flack and Jess looked at him in surprise. "What do you mean?" Flack asked.

Sid smiled. "It's always nice to see two people who are so obviously flirting with each other but don't realise it themselves. Danny and Lindsay are doing that as well. It's always nice to watch."

This time Flack and Jess didn't dare to look at each other. Both were blushing bright red. Jess already knew Sid often said exactly what he was thinking. Lindsay had already told her a story where Sid had simply told her Danny had a crush on her and that this was the reason why he called her Montana. Neither of them had expected him to be that honest about the two of them as well and unfortunately they couldn't even contradict. Once again he was right.

* * *

"I think this picnic was exactly what we needed," Danny said after he had finished one of the sandwiches Lindsay had given to him and Adam. Stretching, he released a satisfied sigh. Of course he would never admit it, but he really started to feel comfortable now. He got up from his sitting position and walked over to the slope at the edge of the path that led through the forest.

"Do me a favour, don't get too close to the slope, okay?" Lindsay said, already getting up as well.

Danny turned around to her, raising his eyebrows. "Do you think I'm a little child? I surely won't fall down there."

"This doesn't only happen to little children," she replied.

Adam, who had been relaxing during their little break and felt much better now, stepped next to Danny, glancing down at the river below.

"Wow, who would have thought such a small river could be that...wild," he said, impressed making a step backwards.

"Yeah, it's nice," Danny replied. But he had already spotted something else. "And what pretty flowers they have here. Montana, want me to get you a flower?" With that he got closer to the edge.

"No, hey, stay here!" she shouted when she saw what he was going to do.

But she wasn't fast enough. He had already set a food on a stone a few inches below the path. A stone that wasn't stable enough and instantly broke away. With a yelp he lost his footing and fell.

"Oh, shit!" Adam exclaimed, trying to grab his friend's arm, but was too slow.

At the sudden turn of events, Lindsay's heart started to race. She rushed over to where Adam was kneeling now, already expecting the worst. To her relief she found Danny clinging to another rock with one hand and with the other to a plant. He was cursing.

"Are you okay?" she shouted down to him.

"Yeah, yeah," he shouted back between clenched teeth. "Just...didn't expect this slope to be that...cliffy."

"We have to help him!" Adam said, staring at his friend with huge eyes. "Or he'll fall down there and end up in the river."

Lindsay didn't need to confirm he was right. They had to hurry. She knew Danny's arms were strong enough to hold himself in place for a bit. The rock and the plant didn't look that safe though.

"Danny?" she shouted. "Listen, we'll get you back up here in no time. I have a rope I'll throw down to you. Don't move, okay? Stay exactly the way you are now."

Quickly she rushed back to where she had left her rucksack. With shaking hands she opened it. She needed her whole willpower to keep her breathe low and steady, to stay calm enough to act rational. This didn't change her heart was racing. She knew in what a dangerous situation he was now and everything depended on them. They had to hurry. The rock and the plant could give in every moment. She didn't even want to think about what would happen then.

"Lindsay, hurry!" Adam shouted.

"I got the slope!" she shouted back. With shaking legs she ran back to the slope. "Danny, I'll let the rope down to you now. Adam and I will hold it while you climb up here again, okay?"

"Yeah," was all she got as an answer. The sound of this one word was enough for her to know he was scared. No surprise. All that prevented him from falling and either hurting himself really badly or ending up in the river was a lose rock and a plant. The adrenaline was it that prevented her from freaking out because of the danger of the situation.

Quickly she threw the rope, causing it to land right next to him. While she and Adam brought themselves in a steady position, Danny reached out carefully. The moment he removed his hand from the rock, it broke away and with a plop landed in the river. With one quick motion he grabbed the rope, just in time when the plant gave in as well.

"Okay, we got you," Lindsay shouted. She had bound the rope around hers and Adam's waists now, making sure they wouldn't fall down as well when Danny would climb up to them. "Move slowly."

Listening to her, Danny slowly climbed up the slope again. When he reached the edge of it, Adam and Lindsay grabbed either one of his arms and helped him until he was sitting on the path again. One glance in his face revealed what Lindsay had already heard in his voice. He was scared, shocked even. His face was pale, exactly mirroring the colour of hers and Adam's faces.

"Are you alright?" Adam asked concerned.

"Yeah, I'm good," Danny answered, groaning lightly. "Just banged my arm against something, but it's gonna be fine. So much about flowers being romantic."

Although she was still shaking, Lindsay laughed. He was joking again, so he had to be alright. Gently she took his left arm into her hands, pulling the sleeve of his shirt up enough to reveal his wrist. It was already bruising.

"I'd say you show that to Sid or Hawkes later," she said. Adam had already opened his rucksack and handed the first-aid-bag to her.

"Looks like both of us haven't been that careful, huh?" Adam said, giving his friend a comforting smile.

Danny chuckled, wincing lightly when Lindsay started to bandage his wrist. "I promise I will never make any jokes about your backside anymore."

Adam laughed. "Nah, it's fine. I promise I won't tell anyone you've almost fallen down a slope because you wanted to get a flower for your Montana."

At his comment, both, Danny and Lindsay blushed. They didn't have to say a word to agree they both would be glad if Adam wouldn't mention what exactly had been going on. One thing was for sure though. So far their vacation really wasn't boring.

* * *

**Preview: The teams meet again. Danny and Lindsay and Flack and Jess have some interesting conversations.**


	8. Honest Conversations

**A/N: Aww, huge thanks for the sweet feedback and to everyone for reading and for adding this story! I'm happy you like it! Special thanks to madmush, Desiree1989, afrozenheart412, lily moonlight, Smacked Hard, ZoeyBug, royan1985, Hylen, sucker-4-SMacked, yotobari288 and jmc715!**

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Chapter 8: Honest Conversations**

"Are you sure your wrist is alright?" Adam asked, still throwing concerned glances at his friend's bandaged wrist. He had seen him hit it at one of the rocks and had seen it bruise quickly.

But Danny shook his head. "It's fine, believe me. I know how it feels like to have a broken wrist, and this time it isn't."

"Still you'll let Sid check that out," Lindsay told him. "Luckily they haven't really been faster than us."

She was right. After the events at the slope, Danny, Lindsay and Adam had decided to keep on walking until they'd meet at least one of the other two groups. They had been successful with their plan. Sid, Flack and Jess had decided to have a break as well and so the third group found the second group right while they were having a picnic themselves. Danny couldn't deny he didn't feel all too well when he saw his other friends. After the first shock he felt now embarrassed because of his little accident.

"Hey," Sid greeted them. "I just told Jess and Don the three of you would surely soon join us if we made a little break." Having the expert look of a doctor, Sid instantly noticed the bandage on Danny's wrist. "Did something happen?"

"He hurt his wrist," Adam answered. "Not broken though, he says he knows how it feels like to have a broken wrist."

"How did you manage to hurt your wrist?" Flack asked, raising his eyebrows. "What did you do? Try to climb up a mountain or something?"

Danny sighed. "Don't ask, okay?" He sat down next to Sid, who started to examine the bruised wrist.

"Oh, that doesn't look all too nice," the doctor said, already opening his first-aid-bag. "But from what I can tell so far it's really not broken. Just hurting really bad I guess."

"Could be worse," Danny said with a brief glance at Lindsay. He had noticed the concerned look in her eyes; something he didn't want to see. He knew she possibly had been as scared as him because of his little accident. He didn't dare to think about what else could have happened if either he hadn't managed to get hold of the rock and the plant or if his two friends had been slower with pulling him back up the slope. He could pretty much imagine she was thinking about that now and he didn't want her to worry even more. His wrist indeed hurt a lot, but she didn't need to know that.

"What about the two of you?" Lindsay asked then. After making sure Sid took care of Danny's arm, she had turned her attention to Flack and Jess, noticing both of them didn't have the most happy expressions either. "Did something happen?"

Snapping out of whatever thoughts, Flack stared at her briefly before he shook his head. "Nah, everything's fine." Blushing lightly, he headed over to where Sid was sitting with Danny and now also Adam.

Jess remained standing at the same place, still with an uncomfortable expression. Lindsay didn't believe the excuse that everything was fine for a second and so stepped next to her friend.

"Okay, now again; did something happen?" she asked, quiet enough only Jess could hear her. "Are Sid's stories that bad?"

Jess sighed deeply. "I could deal with those. Looks like you've been right with what you said about him always speaking everything out though."

Curious now, Lindsay raised her eyebrows. "That means?"

Again Jess released a sigh. "He said he finds it funny to watch us because Don and I are flirting and don't even notice it."

For a moment all Lindsay could do was stare at her friend with huge eyes. What Sid had told her two friends was exactly what she, Danny and everyone else surely were already thinking for a long time. Being confronted with that for sure hadn't been a nice experience.

"Wow," she said. "Quiet embarrassing moment, huh?"

Jess nodded. "Yeah. Not that nice when someone tells you you have a crush on the person walking next to you. I know we're not in highschool anymore, but I could imagine better moments than that. Oh, and he also said you and Danny are acting the same way."

Now it was Lindsay's turn to blush as well. What else had she expected? She could clearly remember how Sid had told her Danny was calling her Montana because he had a crush on her.

"At least he's honest," she said then, although she knew her friend felt as uncomfortable with this kind of honesty as she did.

A few minutes later, the two groups continued their walk to the next camp area. While Sid and Adam were busy with exchanging all kinds of crazy stories, the other four group members mostly were silent. All of them were too busy with following their own thoughts and too afraid they could say something wrong the moment they opened their mouths. All of them were relieved when the camp area got into their sight. Mac, Stella and Hawkes were already sitting around the fireplace, two tents covering the area. Hawkes was the first one who spotted them.

"Hey!" he shouted when the six friend arrived. "You've been quick, we just arrived a few minutes earlier. How have you been in your groups?"  
"Oh, it was great," Sid said and Adam answered, "It definitely wasn't boring at all."

Mac nodded. "That's good to hear." Of course he had seen the expressions on his four other friends' faces and also spotted the bandage on Danny's wrist. He could only imagine what kind of trouble those four had gotten into and he knew better than to ask. "No serious injuries or problems?"

Danny, who knew the question was mainly directed to him, shook his head. "Everything's fine, boss. Just had some fight with a rock. A few bruises, that's all."

"You should still take care of that," Sid told him while the rest of the team joined their friends at the fireplace. "Make sure you don't use your wrist too much. Let someone help you with the tent and with carrying stuff."

Danny nodded. "Yeah, sure I will." Again he glanced at Lindsay. The look was still there. It wasn't the pain but the fact he had scared her with his behaviour and with the fact he hadn't listened to her but had been so careless.

"Alright, now that you're all here I can tell you what our plans for the next day are," Mac started when all of them had sat down. "I've changed my actual plans of moving every day. It's way too stressful I think and that's the last thing we need. I think the camp area here is pretty nice and so I decided we'll do what we did at the lake. We'll stay here tomorrow as well, this time exploring the area around that river. There's a lot to see and I thought maybe we could also go fishing."

"Fishing?" Hawkes asked. "Never done that before. Isn't that a bit boring? I mean, I don't know how high the chances are to catch something here."

"And we don't want to mess with the bears who surely won't be all too happy about us stealing their fish," Adam replied. He seemed to be in a much better mood again; obviously his infection was getting better and he slowly started to enjoy the trip.

"We'll see about that," Mac said. "We'll stay here for the next day and we'll see what we can do around here."

"But will that work? Don't we have to walk all the way back?" Jess wanted to know.

Mac shook his head. "No. If we follow the hiking trail, it'll take us back to where we started. Actually I've chosen a longer one, but there so we'll just follow another trail that's shorter. Our timing is good, no worries. I think tomorrow we'll see what we'll do with the day. We can do something together or you just decide what you want to do on your own."

The team agreed with Mac's plan. After his speech, they all got up to build the rest of the tents. Four of those team members still couldn't really relax though. There was just too much they were still thinking about.

* * *

Jess was watching her friend for several minutes already. Lindsay and her had built their tent and where now making themselves comfortable in it. Lindsay hadn't spoken a single word during the time and knowing her friend, Jess was pretty sure she knew the reasons for this behaviour.

"Lindsay, what's going on?" she asked after a while.

"What do you mean?" Lindsay asked, without stopping what she was doing.

"If you're worried because of him, why don't you go and have a look at how he is. Ask him if he's doing fine," Jess answered.

Now stopping, Lindsay stared at her friend in disbelief. "What?"

Jess smiled. "You know what I mean. I know you're worried because of a certain someone's wrist. If you're thinking about him all the time, why don't you go and talk to him?"

Briefly Lindsay thought about contradicting. But then she changed her mind. She knew her friend good enough to know contradicting wouldn't work at all. So all she did was releasing a sigh.

"I'm not his nurse or something," she said then.

"But bothering yourself with whatever thoughts you have isn't good either," Jess said. "I'm serious here, Linds. Either you go over to him now and talk to him or I'll force you to go."

Lindsay couldn't help but laugh. She knew Jess would use every chance to get the two of them talking. And possibly she wasn't even that wrong. Maybe a little chat would really make her feel better.

"Only if you and Don have a little talk as well," Lindsay replied, winking at her friend before she got up. "You know, talking helps."

Despite herself, Jess blushed lightly. "We'll see about that."

Lindsay smiled back in response. She knew Jess and Flack didn't need much more to finally have a conversation about what they were really thinking about each other. They only needed to be pushed a bit, and luckily Sid had already done that.

She had barely left the tent when Lindsay noticed Flack, who had just left his own tent as well. Without hesitation she walked over to him. If he needed another little push, he'd get it.

"If you wanted to visit Jess and chat a bit with her, I think this is a good timing now," she said, winking at him lightly.

Flack opened his mouth to contradict, but then changed his mind. Who were they trying to kid? He knew Sid wasn't the only one who knew he had feelings for Jess and if he was honest he was slowly getting tired of dancing around each other. So he only nodded and smiled at his friend before he headed over to the women's tent. Briefly he hesitated at its entrance before he took a deep breathe and knelt down to enter it.

"Hey Jess," he said, trying to sound as confident as even possibly. "Would you mind me coming in?"

Jess, who had just lain down for a bit relaxing and thinking, shot up and looked at him surprised. Having her friend's words still in mind, she smiled then. "Come in."

Hoping she wouldn't notice how nervous he was, Flack entered the tent. A little unsure he let his eyes wander through the inside of it, thinking about what to do or to say.  
"Wow, it's...clean in here," he said.

Jess chuckled. "Yeah, that's true. Just sit down wherever you want."

Flack nodded and sat down next to Lindsay's sleeping bag. Then he looked up at her again, smiling. Both of them remained looking at each other until the silence between them became uncomfortable. It was Jess who finally spoke.

"What exactly are we doing here?" she asked then. "I mean...we're adults, aren't we? Sid is right. We both know we're flirting with each other, and not just for fun. Then why are we still acting like it's nothing?"

Flack, surprised by so much honesty, needed a moment to reply. Then he wondered what he was waiting for though. Sid was right, and she had even made the first step already. There was no need to pretend nothing was going on anymore.

"Then why don't we just stop this stuff?" he asked, smirking. "I mean, not that we have to run around and tell everyone everything. But...at least we should stop fooling each other. And...I mean..." His voice trailed off. He hadn't even noticed how he had slowly approached her and that now only inches were separating them.

"Sounds like a good plan," Jess replied, now almost whispering. And to both, hers and Flack's surprise, she just pushed the last bit of hesitation away, bent forward and kissed him. When they broke apart again, Flack looked at her with huge eyes. It didn't take him long until a smirk lit his face though.

"I think it's definitely a good plan," he replied, grinning.

"Oh yes," Jess whispered back. "Thanks to Sid being so open and pushing us."

Flack didn't reply. Instead he made the next step this time. Gently he took her face into his palms to kiss her again.

* * *

Lindsay couldn't deny she was a bit nervous while standing outside of the men's tent. She didn't even know why she was so nervous. She knew the moment she would enter this tent, she was alone with Danny and she knew what those moments always did to her. Her wish to look how he was was stronger though. After hesitating another moment, she quickly knelt down and entered the tent. She found Danny lying on his back, looking at her in surprise when he noticed her.

"Hey," she said shyly. "Am I...disturbing or something?"

"Oh, of course not," Danny answered, slowly sitting up already.

Lindsay nodded, smiling lightly. Once again she felt uncomfortable, unsure on what to say. There was a question burning in her mind though and she needed to get it out.

"How's your wrist?" she asked softly. "I hope it's not hurting too much."  
Seeing the concern in her eyes, mixed with her shyness, all Danny wanted to do was to pull her into his arms and kiss her. He didn't know where this sudden wish was coming from, and why it was that strong already. He knew what Flack had told him so many times before though; he had feelings for her, he just finally had to wake up and realise it. Possibly he was waking up now.

"It's okay, really," he said, gesturing her to move over to him. Carefully Lindsay crawled over to said place next to him, still with that shy expression in her eyes. "It was my fault though. I should have listened to you. I didn't want to scare you or something, I'm sorry."

Lindsay's shy expression changed into surprise at his answer. "Oh, there's no need to say sorry," she replied.

"I guess there is," Danny replied. "You told me to stay away from the slope. Still I didn't listen to you. That's why this happened. I can be glad you and Adam were there to help and that you helped me so quickly. I...didn't mean to scare the two of you, really. And I don't want you to feel concerned because of my wrist. It's my own fault and it's gonna be fine."

After blurting his thoughts out in almost one single sentence, Danny hoped he had managed to whip her thoughts away. Still the look in Lindsay's eyes wasn't the same again. She looked less concerned now but from the way she looked at him she could tell there was more she wanted to say.

"It was cute of you that you wanted to get me a flower though," she told him. Blushing lightly, she chuckled and added, "Oh wow, now I also start to act like a kid."

She hesitated. Danny could feel there was coming more and so he waited. He didn't want to interrupt whatever she wanted him to know. And he didn't have to wait long. He noticed her blushing even more but still she looked at him with a sudden confidence.

"You know how we talked about Jess and Don who don't notice what's going on between them and that they both have a crush on each other?" she asked. "And that we hoped the two of them would finally kiss or something to realise they belong together." When Danny nodded, she blushed even more, but anyway continued, "Well, I know this here is kinda risky if I'm misinterpreting things, but...I have the feeling we aren't any better."

Danny had expected a lot, but what Lindsay had just told him, had totally surprised him. He was amazed by her honesty and by the fact she had dared to tell him about her suspicion that she thought the two of them also had feelings for each other, despite her seeming to be so nervous and shy.

"Of course I could be totally wrong," she started then when he hadn't answered, but Danny wasn't going to let her think that.

"You're not," he interrupted her. "I think you're...perfectly right with that. I was just wondering what made you admit that suddenly."

Her face looked red like a tomato now. "I don't know. I think I always wanted to tell you what I'm thinking but...today I was...well, I was really scared because of what happened at that slope. I can't deny I was impressed by how glad I was when you were okay. I...Danny, I just have enough of all that stuff, acting like we're just friends and co-workers although everyone keeps on telling us the opposite and although I know exactly what I'm feeling. I have enough of suppressing that, okay?"

The determination in her voice made him smile. He knew exactly what she was talking about. Danny was well aware of what he was feeling for her, and those feelings had nothing to do with friendship. Possibly this little shock had been what they had needed to finally admit it to themselves. And now it was time to admit it to each other as well.

But Danny didn't know what he could say other than that he agreed with her. Still this wasn't enough; he wanted to show her that he agreed with her, and how much he agreed. This time without any hesitation, he closed the last bit of distance between them and gently kissed her. Briefly he expected Lindsay to pull back, but she didn't. Instead of that she closed her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer against him. Both of them knew they didn't need to say more.

Their feelings for each other had been there for a long while already. The event at the slope had made them wake up, made them realise they had enough of suppressing and denying feelings. They wanted to be together and this one kiss was their way to show that to each other.  
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Preview: After confessing their feelings, the couples spent a romantic evening at the fireplace with the team.**


	9. Romantic Moments

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing and for adding the fic! I'm happy you like it! Special thanks to afrozenheart412, C3, ZoeyBug, Crys, Mags, DantanaMM, LacytheDemonicDuck, Desiree1989, sucker-4-SMacked, jmc715, saturn567, California-Italian, Montana Angell and Hylen! I also decided that I will add more SMacked to the fic in later chapters, but for now it's all about DL and also FA. :)**

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****Chapter 9: Romantic Moments**

"Are you sure your wrist is okay?" Between kisses, Lindsay gently took Danny's hand into hers, examining the bandaged arm. It wasn't only the concerned look she gave him that made him look at her in surprise and amusement.

"Uh...Montana?" he asked.

"Yeah?" She looked up at him, one hand still holding his while the other one was gently stroking over the bandage, despite the thick fabric between her fingertips and his skin causing shivers to run up and down his spine. The questioning look she gave him made it hard for him to not chuckle. She was just too cute when she acted like this.

"You know, I'm just kissing you here, can we maybe discuss my wrist later?" he asked. Briefly Lindsay looked at him in confusion, then she blushed bright red.

"I'm sorry, it's just..." she stammered, after glancing at his wrist again, suddenly letting go of it like she had burnt herself with touching it. "I'm sorry because this happened."

Danny looked even more confused at her. "Why? You almost act like it was you who kicked me down that slope. You have no need to feel sorry at all. And also not to be concerned. It's just bruised and hurts a bit, that's all. It's fine."

Lindsay only blushed more. "But you hurt it because you wanted to do something nice for me."

"And?" Danny asked. "You told me to not do it, still I did it. Yes, I wanted to impress you, I'm acting like a stupid boy and I got what I deserved. No need to feel bad because of that. It was my fault, not yours. And now stop that. You got me?"

He looked her right into the eyes, ready to continue convincing her. But he didn't have to. To his relief a bright smile lit Lindsay's face, which quickly changed into a smirk. Slowly she moved closer to him again until her face was only a breathe away from his. Once again he could feel his body tickle with anticipation. It was amazing what a tension he could feel between them. How was it possible they had been ignoring it so long and had never really realised it until now? It was so obvious and they were just glad they had finally done that step and admitted they had feelings.

"Okay then," she said, almost whispering now. "So it's still hurting? Maybe I know something that can distract you from that."

Danny couldn't help the smirk that lit his face at her comment. He couldn't help but think she was just the perfect mix; exactly what he had always wanted to meet. She was a woman who he could have fun with, but also who could be so incredibly cute and at the same time so damn sexy. All he saw were those beautiful brown eyes, sparkling at him, this full mouth, smiling at him and her smooth body pressed against his side, so perfectly he wanted to just grab her and then...do a lot of very pleasuring things with her. But first there was a question he needed to get answered.

"Are you sure you...want this?" he asked carefully, hoping he wouldn't ruin the wonderful tension between them. "I mean...what exactly...is it still?" He stopped, shaking his head. "I'm not sure I even know what I want to say."

He half expected her to shoot a comment back, or just look at him in confusion. Instead she gazed at him with a serious expression. She moved a bit until she was resting against his side, her check against his shoulder.

"I think I know what you want to tell me," she said softly. "And yes, I want this. Not just some kissing here and there though, or your famous somethin' somethin', I want more. I want you, and I want to be together with you. Call me bold, but I also think that's what you want as well. There is something between us and I think...well, this thing with us could really work."

She turned her face away, blushing bright red now. But Danny was faster. Gently he took her chin and turned her back to face him. When Lindsay gazed up at him again, he gave her a soft, warm smile.

"You're not sounding bold, you're right," he replied warmly. "I want the same. I'm glad you're seeing it just like me. Just...we shouldn't let anyone else interfere. This is about us, not about what others want us to do."

Lindsay smiled up at him, this beautiful bright smile Danny loved so much. "I think I agree with you," she told him.

The warmth in her smile and the emotions in her eyes were enough to make him forget everything else around them. Danny was amazed by the intensity of the feelings he had for Lindsay. He had always known they were existing, but not that they were that strong. It was amazing and he couldn't deny that as vulnerable as those feelings could make him, he wouldn't like to feel any different.

"Luckily we finally clarified that," he whispered and with that kissed her again.

Kissing her seemed to feel so familiar now. It was like they had been kissing each other for years already and he simply couldn't get enough of it. But compared to the first time, now something was different. At first it had been slightly hesitant; gentle but hesitant. Now next to the tenderness of said kiss, there was something else he could feel. Passion. There was a mix of passion and softness that was so unique; something Danny had never felt with any other woman before. Something about him kissing Lindsay was simply overwhelming and impressive. If no one was going to stop them, he would possibly keep on kissing her for the next weeks.

Ever so gently, Danny ran his hands through her soft curls, drawing her even closer. Lindsay's hands grabbed the front of his shirt, holding him pressed against her. Almost automatically, they sank down onto his sleeping bag, holding each other tight while their kiss's intensity increased with every passing moment. Hours seemed to have passed when they had to break apart to catch some oxygen again. But breaking the kiss didn't mean to break the almost magical connection between them. Their eyes locked, almost like they tried to gaze into each other's mind, which was enough to keep this wonderful feeling between them.

"What took us so long?" Danny asked softly, wiping a curl out of her face. The bright smile she gave him almost made it impossible for him to concentrate on speaking. "Why did we need so long to realise what's going on? We must have looked like idiots."

Lindsay chuckled. "I'm sure we did. Everyone seemed to know it except us." She looked up at him again in silence for a few moments before she added, "It doesn't matter now though. We finally woke up and that's all we need to know."

"So true," Danny replied. "Now all we need to do is making the same happen with our two friends."

Lindsay's smile widened. "Honestly? I don't even think we have to interfere at all." Shifting a bit, she grabbed his shirt again and pulled him down to her. She chuckled at how he instinctively tensed at the sudden contact of their bodies being pressed against each other. "And now let's enjoy those few quiet moments before someone wants to interrupt again."

Danny only grinned in response, already bending down to kiss her again. Lindsay closed her arms around his neck and sighed happily the moment their lips got in contact again.

For almost half an hour, no one interrupted the couple. Then it was Mac who shouted that he wanted to meet them at the fireplace again. It was late now, even dark already. Danny and Lindsay, still lying in the tent, cuddling on his sleeping bag, weren't in the mood to even think about moving. Or stop embracing each other.

"What's Mac gonna tell us?" Danny mumbled while he rather kept on placing gentle kisses along Lindsay's neck. She was well aware that he knew exactly this would make it even harder for her to get up and follow Mac's wish; his lips on her soft skin was sending sensations through her body that almost made her forget their friends and co-workers were out there. "We know we'll stay here one more day and I thought we could do whatever we want?"

"We won't find it out if we stay in here," Lindsay answered, once again smiling at him. "Come on, we'll get a moment like this again, where we can be alone for a bit. Like tomorrow maybe, when everyone is so busy with their own plans. Mac said he wanted to go fishing, but I'm not sure if that's a good idea with your wrist, so we could maybe do something on our own."

Danny's not so amused look instantly changed into a grin. "I like the way you're thinking." He gazed at her with a smirk for a while, causing her to raise her eyebrows in confusion.

"What?" she asked. His smirk widened a bit.

"Nothing," he said. "It's just...I'm sure Don and Jess wouldn't have a problem to share a tent for the night, so maybe we could switch tents tonight? Mac doesn't have to know it."

Lindsay stared back at him for a moment, then she broke out into laughter. It was Danny's time to give her a confused look now.

"What are you laughing about?" he asked.

"You sound like we're really in highschool, you know that?" she managed to say between laughter.

Danny sighed playfully. "Is that so? Then I think we won't have a problem and I can just sleep in your tent. Or you in mine."

Still laughing, Lindsay shook her head. "No, I really don't want to cause any trouble or to catch everyone's attention. Now let's get up and have a look at what Mac has to tell us."

Smiling at him, she placed another soft, lingering kiss against his lips before she got up. Sighing lightly, Danny followed her. He was still feeling dizzy and overwhelmed by the intensity of what had just happened between them and he hoped no one would realise that.

When they left the tent, Danny surprised realised how late it already was; it was dark, so dark he was glad the fire at the fireplace was still burning or he wouldn't have found his friends.

"Mac?" Flack asked, who had just left the women's tent with Jess. Lindsay, who had noticed that, also instantly saw the expression in Jess's eyes, causing her to smile. She could pretty much imagine she and Danny hadn't been the only one who had gotten close. "What's this gonna be? You want us to sit out here in the dark and wait for some grizzly to catch us?"

Mac simply ignored the second part of the question. "I think because we're all so used to living in the city, surrounded by loud noises and lights, you might enjoy the difference out here. Not just are the noises you can hear here completely different to the city, also you get the chance to actually see stars in the sky."

"What's so nice about..." Flack started but then stopped when he looked at Jess. She was smiling, obviously liking Mac's idea. So he changed his mind and instead said, "Yeah, nice idea."

Lindsay, who had watched the little scene, smiled. Turning her attention to Danny she found him watching her, a warmth in his eyes that caused her heart to beat faster. While everyone had already sat down at the fire, Lindsay used the chance in the dark to give him a quick kiss before she took his hand and led him over to the fire. Danny didn't make a comment. Instead he just squeezed her hand lightly and followed her. They sat down as well and while Mac started to explain what they could see above them, Lindsay leant against Danny's side while he rested his arm around her, holding her against him. All attention was focused on what Mac was explaining to them, but even if one of their friends had looked at them, Lindsay couldn't help the feeling that she simply didn't care. Too much she enjoyed the new closeness between the two of them.

"It really is beautiful, isn't it?" she asked after a while, so quiet only he could hear her.

Danny nodded. "Yeah. Who would have thought stars could be that romantic?" Glancing down at her, he added, "And don't you dare to tell anyone I just said that."

Chuckling, Lindsay shook her head. "I won't, I promise." With that they turned their attention back to the beautiful view and listened to Mac's stories.

* * *

It was far after midnight when the team decided to go back to bed. While everyone was more than tired now, Danny used the chance to pull Lindsay in a darker, quieter area of the camp. Before she could ask any questions, he kissed her deeply.

"Have a good night and sweet dreams," he told her, causing her to smile at the pure sweetness of his voice.

"Have a good night and sweet dreams yourself," she replied, kissing him again. "Now let's go back to our friends before they start looking for us."

Like expected she was already awaited by Jess when she finally entered the tent again. Briefly Lindsay wondered what her friend would say; would she question her about what she and Danny had been talking about? Would she make a comment? But nothing of that happened. Instead Jess seemed to feel just like her; a bit overwhelmed, and she knew exactly why.

"Let me guess," Lindsay said. "You and Don also had a nice little conversation?"

Jess blushed lightly. "I wouldn't really call it conversation. We talked, but mostly we...well, we kissed."

"Oh, really?" Lindsay asked, smiling broadly, although she already knew the answer.

Jess blushed even more. "Yes. Like you and Danny I assume? The others might have not noticed it, but I saw you kissing and holding hands."

To her surprise, Lindsay didn't feel the slightest bit uncomfortable with this conversation. "Yes. Looks like we finally woke up, huh? Finally realised what we want."

Jess nodded. "Oh yes. I just hope it stays great like that. And that it works."

"It will, I have no doubt about that," she answered.

And Lindsay meant what she was saying, she had no doubt she and Danny were doing exactly what they had been wanting to do all the time; they were together now and it was wonderful. She was convinced her two friends didn't feel any different.

* * *

**Preview: The next day at the camp; what will the team members and couples do?**


	10. Plans

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the sweet reviews and for reading this story! Also thank you so much for adding it! Special thanks to sucker-4-SMacked, lily moonlight, Hylen, madmush, ZoeyBug, natabrains, Desiree1989, DantanaMM, .Wings-9553, Montana Angell and afrozenheart412!**

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* * *

****Chapter 10: Plans**

"I'm really not sure that this is a good idea," Danny said, with raised eyebrows following his best friend down to the river. They had found a small path that led them down to the bank of it. At least this was better than his former attempts at climbing, so much he had to admit.

"It is a good idea. Yesterday and the day before it may have been okay, but now I want to have a real bath," Flack replied.

Danny only sighed in response. After their little meeting with Sid at the lake the two had decided not to use it for any bathing time. Instead they had simply used a can of water and sponges to wash themselves as good as possible in their tents. A quick bath in the river would be easier and possibly would also have a better effect. But Danny wasn't really convinced by how good Flack's plan would work.

"You know, I hurt my wrist," he made another attempt at coming up with an excuse. Turning around to him, Flack gave him a disbelieving look.

"And?" he asked back. "I didn't tell you to jump in and swim."

"But that's a river. It's different to a lake," Danny replied.

"I know that," Flack answered. "But see, over here it seems to be really calm, and not deep at all. Stop whining like a baby and get your ass into the water."

Still not entirely convinced, Danny followed Flack to the edge. While Flack had already removed his clothes and was carefully stepping into the water, Danny still hesitated. After his former experience, he wasn't all too thrilled about getting too close to the river again. Then again his friend was possibly right. A bath in the calmer part of the river near the bank definitely was better than their former attempts.

"And? How is the water?" Danny wanted to know after deciding to just trust in his friend this time.

"Damn cold," Flack managed to say. "But I heard that once you're in, it's not that bad anymore." With that he sat down, the water being up to his neck now. "Holy... That's so not true. Not better at all!"

Danny laughed. Shaking his head at his best friend, he stepped into the water as well. Flack was right; it was incredibly cold. Then again what did they expect from a river in the Rocky Mountains? Surely not that it was warm like the sea in Hawaii. He couldn't deny the little bath was very refreshing though.

"I just hope no one sees us," he said then. "I don't really want to see the others bathing here, but I also don't want them to see me."

"They won't. I'm sure they're all still asleep," Flack answered.

He wasn't right though. While most of the team members were indeed still asleep, two women had just left their tents. Like the other morning before, they wanted to be the first ones at the river so they could have a bath before everyone else would get the same idea.

"I have to say I'm slowly getting used to our cold baths in the morning," Jess admitted. "I think I might possibly have a cold shower every morning from now on."

Lindsay laughed. "At least you're fully awake after that."

"Definitely," Jess agreed.

The day before the two women had already discovered the small path that led down to the river. The moment they had a free view at the river though, they stopped.

"Oh, look, obviously we haven't been the only ones who had this idea, huh?" Jess said, grinning broadly. Lindsay, who had just discovered their two partners bathing in the river, instantly blushed bright red. Jess grabbed her arm and pulled her aside.

"I think we should...come back later again I'd say," Lindsay said, but Jess shook her head.

"Why? Don't be shy, sooner or later you'll see him naked anyways," she told her.

"Jess!" Lindsay hissed, but Jess only laughed.

"Come on, Linds," she replied. "The two of us tried to catch us bathing as well. Hawkes told me about that. Why do you think they were in such a bad mood when they came back to the camp that morning? Because instead of us they caught Sid down there."

Lindsay's eyes widened. "Seriously?" She had to bite her tongue to not break out into laughter. "Oh, looks like their plan didn't work at all, huh?"

Jess chuckled. "They aren't any different than us."

"Still I'm not for this kind of stuff," Lindsay answered. With a grin she added, "This doesn't mean we can't have a little bit of fun with them either."

* * *

"Didn't I tell you this bath would be refreshing?" Flack asked while he and Danny walked back to the camp. "Cold, but refreshing."

"Yeah, yeah, it was alright," Danny answered. He wanted to say more but stopped when the two of them arrived at the fireplace. Instead of finding the camp still left and everyone asleep, they were greeted by Lindsay and Jess, smiling up at them when they arrived.

"Good morning," Lindsay greeted them.

"Uh...good morning you two," Flack greeted back. "You're up already?"

Jess nodded. "Yeah, sure. We wanted to have our daily bath, but unfortunately two others were faster than us."

Danny and Flack exchanged a brief glance, both of them feeling themselves blushing immediately.

"Looks like we had more luck with the nude team members we coincidentally met than the two of you," Lindsay said, grinning. Glancing at Jess, she saw the woman struggle with the wish to break out into laughter. Not only knew they about their little plan but also had they caught them down there at the river.

"So, you're proud about that?" Danny managed to reply then. "Well, I hope you'll still grin when we take revenge."

Jess laughed. "Revenge? How old are we?"

"Obviously young enough for Mac thinking he has to separate women and men. So I think revenge is only fair," Flack answered. "Now have a nice bath you two. And hurry for the case someone might want to catch you."

While Danny and Flack continued their way back to their tent, Lindsay and Jess left the fireplace, quickly, until they were far away enough to break out into laughter.

* * *

When Mac had decided to go on vacation with his team and to go for a hiking trip, he had expected to have to fight with them about every hours they'd have to walk. To his surprise they barely had complained, apart from a few times at the beginning. So he had decided to give them some free time to relax and enjoy the wilderness, just like he always did on his trips. It was getting close to midday when he told his friends to meet him at their fireplace.

"I told you you can do whatever you want today. Stay here, go and have a look at the closer area, or just come with me and Stella. We're going to go fishing and if you want to join us, feel free to do that," he said.

"Fishing doesn't sound that bad," Danny answered. "I'm not sure my wrist would agree with that though."

"Is that your excuse for everything now?" Flack asked.

"He's right though," Sid replied. "I would recommend you do something that doesn't involve any pressure on your arm." To Mac he said, "I think fishing sounds very good to me."

"To me, too," Jess answered, much to Flack's surprise.

"You want to go fishing as well?" he asked. A little quieter he added, "I actually thought we could do something together."

"Then go fishing as well," she answered, smiling at him. Flack looked back at her, thinking about what to answer. Then he only sighed in response and nodded. As if he could say no to her when she was smiling at him like this.

Adam and Hawkes agreed to go fishing as well. Mac was surprised by the interest of his team.

"And what about you?" he asked Lindsay, who hadn't said what she wanted to do yet.

"I think I might stay with Danny," she answered. "Would be boring if he was alone all the time and for the case he decides to go out for some hiking, maybe it'd be helpful if he had a companion."

Mac nodded. "I think that's a good idea." To the others he said, "Alright. Go and get your stuff, we'll start in half an hour."

The team left the fireplace again, Danny and Lindsay a little quicker than the others to avoid the questions about what exactly they were going to do when they were alone. Using the fact that everyone was busy, Flack followed Jess to her tent.

"So you really want to go fishing with the others?" he asked, still not really happy with the idea. "I mean...I really wanted to do something alone with you."

Looking up at him, Jess couldn't help the smile that lit her face. He was adorable when he was looking like that and she had to resist the urge to just grab him and kiss him.

"I really would like to learn how to fish," she answered. "But only because we go fishing with the others doesn't mean we have to stay together with them all the time. I'm sure they'll all be so busy they won't notice when we leave."

Flack's expression instantly changed into a grin. "So there is still a chance to spend some time alone with you? Like...a little walk around the river, maybe a picnic?"

Hearing his suggestions, Jess couldn't help but look at him in surprise. "You would like to go for a walk with me and have a little picnic with me?"

Flack nodded. "Sure, why not?"

Jess's smile widened. "Do you know how romantic that is? That's so sweet of you. I think that's definitely something we should do."

Flack couldn't help the happy smile that spread over his face at her answer. Like Danny he wasn't too much into romance usually, but the more time he spent with Jess, the more he started to like the idea of being a bit romantic. Since they had kissed the evening before, things were different anyways. Neither of them had really been surprised by the sudden intensity of their feelings for each other, maybe because they had possibly been aware of them all the time. Like Sid had told them, they had been flirting for a long while.

Now they had finally woken up and realised what they really wanted; each other. Of course Flack wouldn't run around and tell everyone how much he actually was into her. He was amazed by the woman, by the way she acted and behaved. She was strong and determined. Although she was a city girl, she hadn't had any problems with getting used to the wilderness. She was sweet and funny but also could be really tough. To sum it up, she was the perfect woman in his eyes and he was happy to know she was willing to give them a chance, just like him. Now they were together, trying out where this relationship would lead to and he couldn't wait. He was happy with her and if romantic moments like a picnic would make her happy as well, he was more than willing to agree to stuff like that.

* * *

Danny and Lindsay waited until the rest of the team left to go fishing. They were sitting at the fireplace, seeming to think about what they could do while their friends were away. Right after they had left, a broad grin lit Danny's face.

"Finally no one's around to interrupt us," he said.

Chuckling, Lindsay shook her head at him. "Let me guess...you never planned on going fishing? Don is right, huh? You are using the wrist as an excuse."

Danny laughed. "Is that bad?"

Lindsay grinned. "Not at all. At least it gave us the chance to spend some time alone. Now do you also have a plan for what we could do?"

The smirk that lit Danny's face instantly revealed he definitely had plans for them. Moving closer, he rested his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. "I think we've had enough nature for a while. If you want we can go out for a little hiking trip later, but for now I would like to continue where we had to stop yesterday evening."

Despite herself, Lindsay couldn't help but blush lightly. She knew exactly where they had stopped the evening before. Without responding, she allowed him to pull her up from her sitting position. He led her back to his tent. Before they had even entered it completely, his lips were already on hers, almost making her breathless with his passionate kiss. Carefully they crawled into the tent until they managed to lie down on his sleeping bag.

"You know what Sid told you, right?" she managed to say between kisses; kisses that sent incredible sensations through her entire body. How was it possible she had ever been able to not simply jump at him and kiss him like this all the time before? What a waste of time. "Don't...do anything that's not good for your wrist."

Danny smirked at her. "Don't worry about my wrist, okay? I know what I'm doing."

"That you said yesterday as well," she replied, chuckling. She wanted to say more but changed her mind when his lips crashed down onto hers again. There was no way she could contradict, apart from the fact she also didn't want to.

The longer she kept on kissing him, the more she realised that they really had been in denial all the time before. The tension between them was simply overwhelming. Lindsay didn't believe it had built up during the last few days. It had been there all the time. This special, intense connection between them, mixed with their passion for each other, possibly had been there since the very beginning and with the time had gotten stronger and stronger. Sid had known it long time before them, so possibly did everyone else in the team. But she didn't care. Finally they had realised it as well and that was all that counted.

When he suddenly broke apart from her, she looked up at him in confusion. The moment Lindsay saw the smirk on Danny's face, she knew he had something in mind though and she had already a suspicion what it was.

"You know, Flack and I were talking about revenge," he told her, gently running one hand through her messy curls. "I have to say, I'm not so much into revenge. Then again I think we should be even. You saw me naked already, I think now it's my turn."

Lindsay couldn't help but blush bright red at his comment. "And what exactly do you have in mind?" she wanted to know.

Still smirking, Danny shrugged. "No idea. You can decide how you want to make that happen."

Staring up at him, Lindsay thought about what to reply next. Then she remembered what Jess had told her earlier. Sooner or later they would see each other naked anyways. Lindsay had to admit this vacation so far had had a lot of surprises for them. So she didn't even bother to wonder where the idea came from that suddenly popped into her mind. Smirking as well now, she ran her hands down his chest until she reached the hem of it. Ever so slowly she slid her hands beneath the fabric, smirking even more at the clear effect she instantly had on him.

"I think there is definitely something we could do," she almost whispered. "Especially now that no one is here to interrupt us. Only if you want of course. I don't want to push you into anything."

"As if you would," was all he managed to say.

Still smirking, Lindsay closed her arms around his waist and pulled Danny into another heated kiss. Once again both were amazed by the intensity of their feelings for each other. Neither of them knew that although their team members weren't around, they would be interrupted once again.

* * *

**Preview: Who will interrupt Danny and Lindsay? And will Flack and Jess enjoy their picnic?**


	11. Of Feelings And Unexpected Visitors

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I didn't plan this fic to be that long. But there will be a couple of more chapters. Special thanks to CSINYBabyy, afrozenheart412, lily moonlight, madmush, ZoeyBug, Desiree1989, SMacked Hard, sucker-4-SMacked, Cowboy'sMontana, Hylen, DantanaMM, allie whitlock, Montana Angell, jmc715 and csiny4ever25!**

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****Chapter 11: Of Feelings And Unexpected Visitors**

"Do you really think it was a good idea to allow everyone to do what they want?" Mac asked Stella. They were sitting at the river now, at a quieter part of it where the chances for actually catching fish was higher. After shortly explaining the basics, all of them were now busy with trying to be the first one who'd catch something.

"Why shouldn't it be a good idea?" Stella wanted to know. "Obviously everyone's enjoying it."

Mac sighed. "Yeah, they do. Sid, Hawkes and Adam seem to enjoy fishing. But you noticed that Don and Jess just disappeared?"

Stella laughed. "Be honest, Mac, do you want those two flirting next to you all the time while you rather want to enjoy the beauty of nature? Let them do what they want. I heard they wanted to have a picnic together somewhere. I think that's a good idea."

Mac sighed again. "I hope so. And what about Danny and Lindsay? Do you also think it was a good idea to allow them to do what they want? Back at the camp?"

Amused by Mac's concern, Stella shook her head at him. "Come on, Mac! You aren't their father. I think they're old enough to know what they're doing. This is no class vacation where you're responsible for the kids and have to take care that the boys and girls stay away from each other."

"Honestly? I think this is exactly my job," Mac replied, smiling when Stella broke out into laughter.

They were silent for a while, both of them continuing fishing. Despite the fact that actually they were supposed to be quiet if they wanted to catch fish, Sid, Hawkes and Adam were talking all the time, switching from one topic to the others. Mac was the only one who concentrated on what he was actually doing and Stella used the chance to watch him a bit. She couldn't help the smile that lit her face at the expression in his eyes. It rarely happened that Mac was completely relaxed like this and she was happy to be able to witness it.

When Mac had announced where they would go on vacation to, Stella hadn't been sure about what to think about that. Being so far away from every kind of civilisation; she didn't know if she would like that. Now she was enjoying the trip more and more with every day. The nature was beautiful, but this was nothing compared to how much she enjoyed to spend so much time together with her best friends. And with Mac. Of course he had no idea what she was really thinking about him. And feeling for him. But Stella was convinced that one day they would have a conversation about those feelings. Maybe this wonderful area that made Mac relax so much would be the perfect location for that.

* * *

"Do you think they'll have a problem with us just leaving and not saying a word about it?" Jess asked while she and Flack were walking down a small path along the river.

"It was your idea so why do you ask?" he simply asked back. "Mac said we can do whatever we want, and we want to have a picnic, so they won't complain."

"Possibly," Jess answered. "The idea to have a picnic is really sweet I have to say."

"I have a lot of sweet ideas," Flack replied with a wink. "You just have to give me the chance to show them to you."

Jess chuckled. "I really wonder why it took us so long to understand it."

"To understand what?" he wanted to know although he already knew the answer. He wanted to hear it from her though.

"Why did it take us so long to get together?" she asked, like he had expected.

"I don't know. Why did it take Messer and Monroe so long to finally realise they're totally in love with each other?" Flack teased back. But if he had hoped that with his comment he could hide how he was really feeling inside, he had been wrong.

"You know you don't have to do this strange thing men always do when it comes to feelings?" Jess told him.

"What do you mean?" Flack wanted to know, already blushing though.

"I think you know what I mean," she said. "You start to act funny. Or make comments. Just because you don't want anyone to realise there are feelings involved."

"Why should I do that?" he asked, cursing himself for blushing.

"Because you're afraid to get hurt maybe? I can calm you down though, I won't abuse your feelings. When I decided to start a relationship with you, I did it because I have feelings for you, for a pretty long time already. So if I was you I would just trust in me and not be afraid."

They walked in silence for a while and Jess could almost see the thoughts running through his mind. It took him a few minutes until he could reply.

"You know, no one is supposed to know we just had this conversation, right?" he said then, causing Jess to laugh.

"Okay, I promise to not say a word about it as long as you promise to trust in me and be more open to me," she answered.

"I think I can do that," he answered, smiling at her.

* * *

"What if the others suddenly decide to come back to the camp?" Lindsay asked, all of the sudden stopping herself and Danny during kissing. They were lying on top of Danny's sleeping bag and after exchanging heated and passionate kisses for the last couple of minutes, he was barely able to focus his mind on anything anymore.

"Huh? Why should they?" he asked. "They're fishing." He bent down to kiss her again, but she turned her head away.

"What if they get bored and come back? You said Hawkes doesn't think fishing is any interesting. What if they'll catch us in here?" she asked.

Danny watched her for a moment, then he rolled over so he was lying on his side. "Lindsay, we don't have to do that now. We can still wait. We've just gotten together and there is no need to hurry. If you have doubts..."

"It's not that," she interrupted him.

"Okay, even if you don't have doubts, we can still wait. Only because we're together now doesn't mean we have to do something like this already. We can always wait till we're back home. Or till you're ready for that," he told her.

"But why should I want that? It was me who made the first step into the direction," she disagreed.

"Still that doesn't mean you can't change your mind," Danny answered. Mentally he was cursing himself; why wasn't he just using his chance? She wanted him, why shouldn't he just work on making her relax? Something inside him was telling him to not rush things for the case she had doubts. He didn't want to make her do something she wasn't ready for. Something in her eyes was telling him she didn't know herself what she wanted though.

"I want you, and you know that," Lindsay said then. "It's not like we just met. I'm feeling like this for a long time already and it was about time we finally made this step and admitted it to each other and got together. I just...want to be sure that you...don't suddenly change your mind and realise that possibly..."

"That will never happen," Danny interrupted her before she could go on with whatever reactions she expected from him. "I meant what I said. I want to be together with you. I'm serious." He hesitated for a moment before he continued, "If it helps you to believe me I'm serious, I think we should use the chance for what we just did already, but wait with the rest till we're back home. Like I said, there is no need to hurry." With a smirk he added, "And don't worry, I will get to see you naked."

Laughing at him, Lindsay shook her head and smacked his arm. "We'll see about that." Pausing, she glanced at him for a moment. "Thanks for waiting."

"No worries," Danny answered. "But I would be happy if at least the kissing part I wouldn't have to wait for anymore."

With a smirk, he grabbed Lindsay around her waist and pulled her into another passionate kiss. Gently he pushed her back onto his sleeping bag. Lindsay could feel shivers running down her back at the sensation his lips on hers and his hands roaming over her body caused. She thought it was a sweet gesture of him to wait and not just give in to their wish to be a bit more intimate already. She couldn't deny she felt a certain heat rising deep inside her. Possibly they could do a little bit more than just kissing? Once again she let her hands slip under his shirt, once again she enjoyed the warmth of his skin beneath her fingertips and the way he shuddered at the gentle touch.

But then it happened. It was just a noise, but a noise that made them stop in their tracks. Both of them instantly sat up straight, carefully listening to find out whether they had just imagined the sound or not. They knew they had been right the moment they heard it again; the growling of a bear.

"Tell me that's not what I think it is," Danny whispered. Looking at him, Lindsay wondered if she had ever seen him scared like this before. This time she couldn't hide that she was afraid herself. According to the noises the animal was making, it had to be close to their camp.

"I won't stay in here," Danny said all of the sudden and moved to leave the tent. But Lindsay was faster. Jumping forward, she tackled him down and prevented him from unzipping the tent.

"You will not go out there now," she hissed. "If you leave this tent now, you...will never be allowed to ever touch me again."

Danny glared at her, but followed her back to the sleeping bag. "If this bear decides to eat us, I won't be able to do that anymore either," he hissed back.

"He won't come and eat us, how should he come into our tent?" she asked him.

"He has claws, right? And teeth. Sharp teeth. He will get in here if he wants to, he won't ask for permission first," Danny answered.

As much as Lindsay wanted to contradict, she couldn't. Possibly the bear would find a way inside if he really wanted to. But if she agreed with him now, he would really run away, with their luck straight into the animal.

"Do you have any food in here? Anything that could possibly lure him?" she asked instead.

Danny shook his head. "No, no food in here. Possibly Don already ate it all anyways."

Lindsay chuckled. "As if you're any different."

"That's not a funny situation, Montana," Danny answered, still with his scared expression. Once again they heard the growling of the bear, but this time it relieved Lindsay more than that it made her nervous.

"It looks like he's going away again," she said quietly. When the bear growled again, she added, "See? It's getting quieter and quieter."

"Yeah, to come back every minute and surprise us when we'll leave our tent," Danny muttered, but she didn't reply to that.

Like expected, they could hear the bear a few more times until its growling was so far away they could barely hear it anymore. Glancing at Danny again, Lindsay noticed how he was visibly relaxing. She had to bite her lips to not laugh out loud. This was exactly the reaction she had expected.

"I told you he wouldn't come and eat us," she said then. "And I'm glad you didn't have to make your promise come true; that you want to protect me for the case we'll meet a bear."

Danny looked at her with raised eyebrows. "I wasn't scared, I was just rational. They're not that harmless."

Lindsay laughed. "You stayed rational? Of course. But don't worry, I won't tell anyone we got scared," she answered, winking at him. Danny blushed lightly. That easily he wouldn't let her win though.

"Now that the bear decided to leave us alone again, why don't we continue where we stopped?" he asked, already pulling her closer. Lindsay raised her eyebrows at him in disbelief.

"Is that how you talk yourself out of embarrassing situations?" she asked. In a deeper voice she added, "Hey baby, let's just continue where we stopped."

Danny looked back at her for a moment before he broke out into laughter. "Okay, Montana, you won," he admitted then. "But may I please just kiss you again? I want to use the time before someone or something decides to interrupt again."

Grinning at him, Lindsay closed her arms around his neck. "Fine, you're possibly even right. Let's enjoy the time when no one is around to disturb."

"See? I knew you would agree with me," he said, smirking at her with this famous smirk that got her both, angry and giddy at the same time.

"If that's what you want to believe, okay," she teased back, smirking at him as well.

With that Lindsay kissed Danny again. Both of them of course would never admit they had been scared by their unexpected visitor. Both of them agreed that the rest of the team didn't have to know what had been going on at the camp while they had been fishing.

* * *

**Preview: Danny and Lindsay share some more romantic moments. Flack and Jess catch them. The team returns after fishing.**


	12. Little Couple Moments

**A/N: Oh, wow! Thanks for all the lovely reviews and of course for reading and for adding the fic! You definitely know how to make me smile! The feedback is very encouraging! Special thanks to madmush, afrozenheart412, ZoeyBug, CSINYBabyy, csiny4ever25, SMacked Hard, kanameisawesome, DantanaMM, Desiree1989, sucker-4-SMacked, Rose, saturn567 and jmc715! Here is finally the update. I will reply to your reviews soon.**

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****Chapter 12: Little Couple Moments**

Lindsay was convinced that when a person had stress, the best to do was leaving the city behind and heading into the country. There was something about the peace of nature that never failed to make her calm down and get new energy. No surprise she had been more than willing to spend the team vacation in the Montanan wilderness. Like expected, it had helped her to relax and now she was feeling better than she had in the last couple of months.

The way she was feeling now she couldn't only make nature responsible for. She was lying in Danny's arms now, her head resting on his chest. After making sure the bear had really left the camp area, they had unzipped the entrance of their tent so the sun and the fresh air of the warm spring day could find their way inside. They could hear how the wind was gently stroking through the tall trees and the sound of the wild river not far away.

It was the sum of all this that made her feel so great she was getting all giddy inside. Lindsay didn't know how long she and Danny had been lying in his tent. They had decided to use their chance to spend some private time without the other team members, had also decided to wait with getting intimate yet. So after the exchange of heated kisses that had almost made them forget their intentions, they were now simply enjoying some closeness.

Carefully, Lindsay changed her position until she was lying on her stomach, able to watch her boyfriend. Danny's hand was still running up and down her back lovingly. His eyes were closed but she could tell he wasn't asleep yet. A sudden warmth rushed through her body at the sight. She had always thought it was quite cheesy when people were watching their partners while they were asleep, or in this case acting like they were. Now she found herself doing exactly that and she couldn't help it. Danny looked so sweet and adorable that she had to control herself to not simply grab him and shower him with kisses.

"I always knew women can't get enough of me," his voice caused her to snap out of her thoughts again. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she found him still with closed eyes, a grin spread across his face though.

"What?" she asked, causing him to laugh.

"I always knew women can't get enough of me," he repeated. "They just have to stare at me. They can't do anything against that."

Lindsay groaned playfully. "You know perfectly how to ruin a romantic situation, don't you?"

Danny laughed again. He opened his eyes and glanced up at her. "Hey, not my fault I'm just being honest."

Laughing as well now, Lindsay smacked his arm. "You signed a contract in which you promised to never stop making comments?"

Chuckling, Danny pulled her closer until she was lying on top of him. "And we both know you love it."

Lindsay blushed, not sure whether this was happening because of his comment and how true if was or because of the intense body contact between them. To ease the tension that started to build inside her, she rested her head back onto his chest and closed her arms around him. She felt how Danny closed his arms around her as well, holding her tight. Once again she could feel it, the warmth inside her and once again she was amazed by how wonderful it made her feel like.

"Could this moment be any more perfect?" she asked quietly, snuggling closer against him. She expected a comment coming from Danny, but it didn't happen. Instead she felt how he removed one hand from her back and gently drew it through her curly hair.

"It's one of the most perfect moments ever," he replied, as quietly as she did before. "I could lie here with you for hours."

Hearing the softness in his voice, Lindsay couldn't help but turn around again so she could face him. Their eyes locked and the way he was gazing up at her caused her to shiver lightly. Instead of the usual sparkles in his blue eyes she found warmth in them.

"You're sweet," she said.

"No, just honest," he answered.

Carefully he bent forward a bit and placed a soft kiss onto her nose. Once again their eyes locked and once again Lindsay was amazed by the connection she could feel between herself and Danny. She was sure he agreed with her that he had never experienced something like that before.

"Oh, aren't they just adorable?" an all too familiar voice interrupted them. Snapping out of the magic of the moment, the couple look up through the entrance of the tent, finding Flack and Jess standing in front of them, smiling.

"Oh...you're back already," Lindsay stated, rolling down from Danny, blushing even more than before.

"Already?" Flack asked, raising his eyebrows at her. "We've been fishing with the others and then we had a picnic together. What have you been doing that took you so long?"

Danny and Lindsay exchanged a quick glance. Both immediately had to think about the bear that had interrupted them. Both weren't too sure whether they wanted to share this experience with the others though. When they noticed the knowing smirks their friends were giving them though, they knew saying nothing would possibly be even worse.

"Not what you think, you clowns," Danny answered, sitting up as well now. "We've had a little meeting with a real wild animal. A bear. Just be glad you haven't been here, because you surely would have freaked out."

Lindsay had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from laughing at this comment. How much she wished to just speak out that it had been him who had freaked out and almost run out of the tent. Something was holding her back though. They were together now and somehow she didn't want to embarrass him in front of anyone.

"So you have been out for a picnic?" she asked then to shift the attention from herself and Danny to the other couple. "Didn't Mac have a problem with you two suddenly leaving?"

It was Jess's and Flack's turn to blush now. It seemed to be a common behaviour between the two couples; trying to hide what actually both sides knew while trying to tease each other. It could look strange to others but it seemed to be too much part of their personalities to act this way.

"I don't think he even noticed," Jess answered. After standing at the tent's entrance, she and Flack had decided to sit down in front of it now. "I think he was too busy with impressing Stella with his fishing skills." The idea of that caused Danny and Lindsay to laugh.

"Mac impressing Stella?" Lindsay asked. "This is something I would love to see."

"I think the two of them are just as much in love as the four of us," Danny replied before he could censor himself. When three pairs of eyes turned to him, looking at him in surprise by the sudden confession, he stammered, "Uh...you know what I mean. They're actually acting like us. Saying they're just friends although everyone sees what's going on between them."

Jess nodded in agreement. "Maybe Sid needs to give them a little push as well?"

"Or we could be the ones who'll push them a bit," Lindsay suggested.

Danny chuckled. "You wanna play match maker, Montana?"

Lindsay shrugged. "Why not? Or do you want to wait until those two finally wake up like us? We can't go on vacation over and over again to make them realise it."

"I think that's a very good idea," Jess agreed. "Maybe we could arrange a nice, little romantic moment for them."

"Yes, out here there should be plenty of possibilities," Lindsay replied, already excited at the idea.

Danny glanced at Flack, releasing a light sigh. "Not to sound rude, but couldn't your picnic have lasted a bit longer? It was just so peaceful and nice."

Glancing at the two women, who had just started a discussion about how to arrange something nice for Mac and Stella, he nodded.

"Yeah," he sighed. "Never let two women get too close to each other. You won't just understand nothing, they will also completely forget about you."

Danny chuckled. "But then again we're dealing with it because of how cute they are."

Flack nodded. "Totally agree."

* * *

It was already late in the afternoon when the rest of the team returned to the camp. After spending some time together, the two couples had separated and either headed to one of their shared tents to have some privacy for a while.

Now they were sitting at the fireplace to welcome their friends. The five seemed to be quite exhausted, but all of them were smiling and in a good mood. No surprise by the fact that they all obviously had been successful with fishing.

"Looks like we're gonna have fish today," Adam announced, proudly presenting the surprisingly big fish he had caught.

"Fish?" Flack made a not too impressed face. "That doesn't look like something I want to take a bite of, to be honest."

"We won't just eat them like that," Sid told him. "First we have to prepare them. Doing some kind of fish autopsy so to speak."

"Fish autopsy?" Flack and Danny stared at the older man with a mix of disbelief and disgust. "If you have fun with that, go ahead, but I don't think either of us is going to do that."

"I thought you like fishing, Danny," Hawkes said when he joined them at the fireplace.

"Yeah, but not like that." Danny replied. Briefly he glanced at Lindsay, who was sitting next to him, watching him with an amused smile. As much as he was starting to enjoy being out in the country, there were still things he wasn't going to do, no matter how much he could impress her with that.

"If I was you I would at least eat the fish later," Mac said then. "Tomorrow we'll have another long day of hiking awaiting us."

"As long as Sid is doing the fish autopsy, I think no one of us is going to disagree with you on that, Mac," Jess replied.

A few hours later, the whole team was sitting around the fireplace, the fish cooked and ready to be eaten. Even though Danny and Flack hadn't been all too happy about eating fish that had been swimming in the river not long before and that had been caught by their friends, they couldn't deny it tasted very well.

"Better than you thought, huh?" Lindsay asked Danny after they had been eating in silence for a while, listening to Hawkes, Sid and Mac exchanging stories. Glancing down at his girlfriend, Danny found her smiling at him, this gorgeous smile he loved so much and that never failed to make him feel giddy and excited inside. There was something about this bright smile that always made him feel good, always made him want to just embrace her and kiss her and do whatever she wanted him to do.

"Yeah," Danny admitted. "And before you ask it; yes, the whole vacation is better than I thought."

Lindsay chuckled. "I knew it. I knew you would love it out here. No one can resist the magic of nature, the quiet and the peace out here."

"I'm not that sure of the peace part," Danny replied, instantly having to think about the bear. With a smirk he added, "Maybe it's not the magic of nature that fascinates me but a certain little country girl who makes it so much more enjoyable for me."

Despite her intention, Lindsay immediately blushed again. Although she knew everyone actually knew she and Danny had feelings for each other and that it was actually only a question of time until they'd realise the two of them were together now, she still had the instinct to be careful and make sure no one listened.

"Do you think you would do it again?" she asked then. She didn't know which answer she expected; Danny was the definition of a city boy. His answer surprised her though.

"As long as we're going on vacation together, sure," he replied. "Not that I wouldn't like to go to a nice beach or a spa or something like that the next time we'll go on vacation, but I think if you really want to go camping with me again, I would do it."

Lindsay felt her face heating up and she was sure she was looking more and more like a tomato. This time she wasn't blushing because of the possibility that someone could hear them but because of what he had said.

"That's really sweet of you, you know that?" she asked quietly.

"Everything for my country girl," he replied.

Gently he reached out to take one of her hands into his. This time she didn't hesitate, didn't even think about pulling back so their other friends wouldn't notice it. Once again Lindsay could see the warmth in Danny's eyes and once again it caused her to shiver lightly, in a wonderful way. Once again she was amazed by the strong bond that was uniting them; something she had discovered so many times already since they had finally decided to be together. And suddenly neither of them cared if their friends knew about this relationship or not.

* * *

**Preview: The hiking continues. How will the team react when they'll meet another few wild animals?**


	13. Everything Is So Exciting

**A/N: Thank you so much for the sweet reviews and for reading this story! I'm really so happy to see you enjoy it, which is why I plan to write a sequel, another team vacation fic with all of them in it. I'd be happy if you read that as well. ;) Special thanks to DREdwards, afrozenheart412, Jupitor's-Cowgirl, lily moonlight, DantanaMM, csi-ncis, Desiree1989, sucker-4-SMacked, Hylen, saturn567 and SMacked Hard!**

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****Chapter 13: Everything Is So Exciting**

The next morning it was time for the team to leave the camp area again. Their next stop would be their last stop before they would meet Mac's friend again and head back to Bozeman where they would spend another few days on the Monroe's farm.

Mac had been unsure if a wilderness trip with his team was a good idea. He had expected a lot of reaction, and especially he had expected that he would have to fight with them like they were stubborn children. He hadn't been sure if there was any way the team would be able to relax and feel better after the stressful case they had been working on.

But despite Mac's expectation, everyone seemed to enjoy their trip now. At first of course especially Danny and Flack had complained and tried to get around all the activities he had planned for them. Now all of the sudden everyone was in a good mood, everyone seemed to get along with the wilderness and everyone seemed to like what he had planned for them.

"Looks like once again you really had a great idea," Stella interrupted him in his thoughts. When he looked at her, she smiled and added, "You've managed the impossibly; Danny and Flack are seriously having smiles on their faces."

Mac raised his eyebrows lightly, smiling back at the now smirking Stella. "You think they're smiling because they like to be out here so much?"

Stella laughed. "Honestly? No, I'd rather blame the fact they're together with their secret crushes now. It's really adorable to watch, and even funnier that obviously this is already enough for them to enjoy being away from every kind of civilisation."

Mac nodded in agreement. Glancing back at Stella, he continued, "And what about you? Do you enjoy being out here? Away from all the things you love in New York?"

Stella chuckled. "You mean Tiffany's for example? I think I'm fine. At least I have some great company out here." With an almost slightly shy smile she added, "Also it's great to see you out here, it's a side about you I didn't know yet."

Playfully Mac looked at her in surprise. "And here I was thinking you knew everything about me."

Once again Stella laughed. "I know the New York Mac, but I didn't know the Wilderness Mac so far."

"And what do you think about the so called Wilderness Mac?" he wanted to know.

Stella's smile widened lightly. "I think Wilderness Mac is very interesting. I have to admit sometimes you got me worried because I got the feeling one has to arrest you to take you home and away from the lab. I wondered when you ever sleep or ever rest. Now I'm seeing a completely different side of you. I see you relaxed and happy and obviously you don't even waste a single thought on work. That's nice. Possibly we should do those camping vacations more often."

"You want to do them more often so you get to see me not thinking about work?" Mac asked amused. Stella nodded, to his surprise with a serious expression.

"Yeah. I think you need those time offs from time to time," she answered. "And believe it or not, I like it out here. There's this peace...you don't get that in New York."

"That's true indeed," Mac replied. He was quiet for a moment before he said, "I'm glad you're enjoying this trip, Stella. I was hoping you would."

"How could I not enjoy spending time with my favourite friends? And especially with you," Stella answered honestly.

Mac didn't know what to respond to that. It barely happened, but he was speechless. Such an honest answer he hadn't expected. He was glad when he didn't have to answer though because Sid used the moment to approach them and announce everyone was ready for hiking again.

* * *

The team was hiking for around an hour again, following a rocky, wavy path. This time they had a free view down into a giant valley, the endlessly long fields reaching another forest and the mountains in the distance. It was very warm already and carrying the large rucksacks was exhausting. The view was once again impressive though.

But the attention of four people was focussed on something else. Even though Sid and Adam were walking behind them, Danny had used his chance to take Lindsay's hand. Somehow he felt like he was acting like a young teenager again, but it didn't matter. He loved the feeling of her soft, delicate hand in his, her fingers gently closing around his. All the time he could feel a connection between them and having some kind of body contact was even better. Also they weren't the only ones who were looking for some closeness; Flack and Jess in front of them were doing the same.

"It's beautiful out here, isn't it?" Lindsay asked after a while, in joy squeezing Danny's hand, who smiled. He loved this excited side of her.

"Yeah, it's quite nice," he answered. "And soon you're going to see your family again. Are you looking forward to that?"

Lindsay's eyes widened at the thought. "Oh yes! I haven't seen them in such a long time. Talking on the phone is just not the same." Her smile changed into a grin. "What about you? Are you looking forward to meeting my family? And telling them you're my new boyfriend? My brothers surely will be interested in that as well."

She had to bite her tongue to not break out into laughter at the shocked expression that immediately appeared on his face. So far Danny hadn't thought about the fact that the Monroes would also find out he was together with their daughter now. And that possibly they wouldn't be happy about that. He opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a laughter coming from behind him.

"Oh, meeting the relatives," Sid chuckled, shaking his head. "I can clearly remember how I met the parents of my first wife. I'm really glad her father didn't chase after me and tried to shoot me. I'm sure that's what he wanted to do though when he heard me and her upstairs in the bedroom while we..."

"Okay, Sid, that's an awesome story," Adam interrupted the man while Danny's face went pale, not only at the story but also at the thoughts that were torturing him now. To his friend he said, "I'm sure it's not that bad to meet the parents."

Sid nodded. "Yeah, and you're not even alone. You have your girlfriend and the whole team. We'll protect you."

Danny sighed deeply. "You're making fun of me, don't you?"

Sid and Adam exchanged a look before both of them broke out into laughter. "Yeah, we do."

Playfully rolling her eyes at the two men, Lindsay grabbed Danny's arm and forced him to turn around again. "You'll be fine," she told him. "Of course they will give you that all over look, they always do, but I told them so much about you, there is no way they won't love you, believe me."

"I hope you're right," Danny replied.

Watching him closely, Lindsay could feel he was still nervous. Of course she could understand him. Danny wanted to impress her family, just like she would want to when she met his. She knew all her family wanted was her being happy though and they were well aware of the fact that no one could make her happier than him.

* * *

The team had been hiking for hours until Mac allowed them to have a break. They had been walking through the forest again, not without most of them nervous because of the chance to meet yet another wild animal. Danny and Lindsay still hadn't mentioned the bear that had come close to the camp area. Now he was still waiting for it to appear again, no matter what his girlfriend tried to tell him.

They had arrived at a large clearing with a beautiful big lake. It was the perfect place for a little break and so they decided to stop for a bit and later to continue all the way until they arrived at their target. For four friends, this was the moment they had been waiting for.

"So," Jess said when she and Flack sat down next to Danny and Lindsay, so quiet only the couple could hear her. "What about our plan? How are we going to try to get Mac and Stella together?"

Lindsay chuckled. "I know what Danny will say now." In a deeper voice she added, "I can't believe women always have to play match makers."

Jess laughed as well while Danny playfully glared at his girlfriend. "That's not funny, Montana. True though," he answered. "To come back to Jess's question though, I have honestly no idea. I mean, do you think there is a way to arrange some private time for them out here? Mac won't just stay at the next camp area like we did."

"Maybe we could do something for them when we're in Bozeman?" Flack suggested. "Any romantic places on your parents' farm?"

A bright smile lit Lindsay's face at the suggestion. "Oh, that's a good idea! Maybe we could arrange a candle light dinner for them in the barn? I know my parents did that on their wedding anniversary. It's incredibly romantic."

"Wow, I love this idea," Jess replied, her eyes sparkling already. "I think that would be wonderful."

"Yeah, and very obvious," Danny said. "If we arrange a candle light dinner for them, they will immediately know what we want to show them with that. And if they don't really want that, what will we do then?"

Lindsay raised her eyebrows at him. "As if there is any chance that those two don't want to be together. They just need a kick, just like the four of us."

Jess chuckled. "Exactly, just this time it's us kicking them, not Sid with one of his stories."

Danny laughed. "True. So the dinner it's then? At your parents' barn?"

Lindsay nodded. "Yes, exactly." She wanted to say more but was interrupted when all of the sudden, Adam behind them started to yell.

"Oh shit, do you see that over there?" he shouted, pointing straight at something in the distance. Everyone turned around, following Adam's finger. It took them a while to see what he was staring at. In the far distance, two large animals had approached the lake. Even from their location they could see those were moose stepping into the cool water now.

"Shit, we should hurry and get away from here," Adam shouted, already getting up to grab his rucksack. But Mac was faster.

"No," he shouted back. "You guys stay where you are. Do you see how far away those animals are? They won't come over here."

"Are you sure?" Flack asked. "I will remind you of that when this monster has me on his antler."

"But he's really far away," Hawkes admitted, even though he didn't look that happy himself.

"And? He can just run over to us and what are we gonna do then?" Danny wanted to know. "And what if those two aren't alone and there is a whole bunch of them? Or even worse, if they're followed by a bear or something?"

At this comment Adam's eyes widened in shock. But once again Mac interrupted.

"Okay, everyone calms down immediately now," he said, his voice loud but calm. "We won't scare ourselves with all possible things that could happen. Those moose are far away and as long as we don't provoke them with our behaviour, they will stay there. Also there is no evidence that there are more of them or that there's any bear anywhere near. So calm down now and stop acting like kids. If you start running around here now, this will be what gets them mad."

Even though half of the team still had the words of Mac's friend in mind and couldn't help but remember that moose could be as dangerous as bears, their boss's reaction had the wished effect; all of them stayed where they were. They didn't take their eyes away from the two animals in front of them though.

Lindsay had to bite her tongue when she watched Danny staring at the moose like they would explode every moment. She could remember how she had reacted the first time she had seen a moose and later even a bear. She had been so scared she had wanted to just turn around and run away as far as possible. Now she knew that if they behaved correctly, they shouldn't be worried.

And like expected, the moose didn't even get close to them. Instead the two animals remained at the lake for a bit before they turned around and slowly walked back towards the thick forest until they disappeared between the tall trees again. All of them released a sigh in relief.

"Looks like you were right, Mac," Stella said then, smiling at him. "Good you prevented us from freaking out."

Mac smiled back at her. "Well, one had to tell you what to do. It wasn't one of the nicest situations. I reacted the same way when I got close to wild animals for the first time."

Stella laughed. "I really don't think you did."

While the two continued chatting and the others got back to eating, four friends exchanged a knowing glance. Lindsay smiled at Danny, winking at him. Flack smiled back at Jess who raised her eyebrows knowingly. They had a plan and they were convinced it would be a full success.

* * *

**Preview: The team arrive at the next camp area.**


	14. Isn’t It Romantic?

**A/N: Wow, seriously, how can I thank you for all those wonderful reviews? Thank you so much! Also thanks for reading and for adding the fic! I didn't plan this fic to get so long and so I'm excited to see you're still reading and reviewing it! There will be a couple of more chapters and then a sequel. Where they'll go on vacation to then you can already guess when you read this update here. Special thanks to afrozenheart412, SMacked Hard, kanameisawesome, ZoeyBug, DREdwards, madmush, DantanaMM, Montana Angell, sucker-4-SMacked, saturn567, jmc715, lily moonlight, Desiree1989 and Hylen!**

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****Chapter 14: Isn't It Romantic?**

The team had been hiking almost the entire day. Had some of them complained about how exhausting and annoying this was a few days ago, now they were enjoying it and neither of them had a problem with walking for several long hours. Still some of the team members were throwing nervous glances around them, making sure no wild animal all of the sudden decided to show interest in them. In the open area they were now, they felt a little safer though.

They had left the thick forest behind and were now following a long, broad river that led across a large, with long grass covered field. In the distance the snowy tops of the tall mountains seemed to touch the ocean blue sky. A strong breeze was blowing across the fields, causing the fir trees of the distant forest to swing lightly.

It was a peaceful and beautiful place. For a while now, Danny and Lindsay had been walking by their own. They hadn't been talking much during this time, had just enjoyed the fact they could walk together, having the chance to hold hands. Lindsay couldn't help the thought that maybe their boss hadn't been that wrong with what he had told them on their first day in the wilderness. Indeed she felt like she was in love for the very first time at the moment. She and her boyfriend were walking together, holding hands.

Somehow it was romantic though, especially because she got to see a completely different side of Danny. Back in New York what he had usually done when he was around her was teasing her. Either he had called her Montana over and over again or he had come up with other comments to get on her nerves. Now she knew those had been his shy attempts to show her he liked her more than he wanted to admit. She could understand him though; she hadn't been ready to admit her real thoughts and feelings either.

Now they were together though and all that teasing and hiding of feelings didn't matter anymore. Still she was amazed by what a team vacation could do to people. All of them had changed a lot during those few days. Danny and Lindsay had admitted their feelings for each other. Flack and Jess were together as well. Mac seemed to be much more relaxed and his relationship with Stella also seemed to intensify. Adam was calmer as well, enjoying the quiet now that he had gotten over his first fears. Only Sid and Hawkes seemed to have stayed the way they always were. What all of them had experienced though was a lot of team building; the vacation had brought all of them closer, which would have a good effect on them working together back in the city.

"I think in summer we should definitely do such a vacation again," Lindsay said then, carefully glancing at Danny to see how he would react at her suggestion. "I mean, you can't deny how wonderful it is out here and there is no better way to relax after stressful shifts. Also in summer you can swim in the lakes and it's not as horribly cold as it's now."

Amused she noticed how Danny's eyes widened lightly at her suggestion. She could imagine he wasn't all too much into her idea to spend their next vacation in the wilderness again. Of course this wasn't seriously her plan. Of course she was going to let him pick the place for their next vacation, but she was curious to see how he'd react to her suggestion.

"Uh...of course, if that's what you want," he answered then, trying to smile at her. "I'm sure it'll be nice to...bath in one of those lakes here."

Lindsay couldn't help but laugh at Danny's expression. When he looked at her in confusion, she shook her head at him.

"Do you really think I would force you to go camping again? Right in summer?" she wanted to know.

Danny shrugged. "I know how much you love to do that."

She laughed even more. "You're just too cute, you know that? No, next time you can pick where we'll go to."

Instantly a broad smile lit Danny's face. "Really? Does that mean I can choose whatever I want?"

Playfully Lindsay rolled her eyes at him. "Depends. It should be something we can pay, nothing that's too expensive."

Danny's grin widened. "I already have something in mind."

"Yeah, and I can imagine what," Flack said before Lindsay could reply. She and Danny turned around. They hadn't even noticed the other couple approaching them.

Lindsay had to bite her tongue to not grin at them. Jess and Flack both had smiles plastered over their faces as well. It was possibly what Sid had meant when he had talked about them and about her and Danny. They were just too obvious.

"So, you two also enjoyed the vacation so far?" she asked then.

"Definitely," Jess answered. "Who would have expected camping could be that nice?" She looked up at Flack and gently nudged him with her elbow. "Right, Don?"

Flack sighed playfully. "I'm still no fan of camping and you can't deny that you also rather like to stay in an expensive city hotel, Jess. I have to admit though, it was a very nice vacation so far."

Jess laughed. "Exactly, it was." Then she turned back to Lindsay. "Don and I have been talking about Mac's tent rule again. I think no one in the team isn't aware of the fact the four of us are couples now. I honestly don't think Mac will still try to force us to stay away from each other."

Lindsay immediately knew what her friend wanted to tell her. "So you think we should just have mixed tents now?"

Jess nodded. "I don't think he'll forbid that. After all we're adults. I think he just wanted to prevent us from getting on each other's nerves."

Lindsay laughed. "Wasn't that successful, the idea I'd say. I think you're right though. I also don't think we have to ask him for permission before. Like you said, I'd say we're old enough. Most of us at least." With that she glanced at the two men.

"What's that supposed to mean, Montana?" Danny wanted to know, having a hard time to hide his grin.

"Be nice or you can sleep alone tonight," she replied, winking at him.

"So it's a deal then? The two of you and the two of us will share tents for the rest of the vacation?" Flack wanted to know.

"Definitely," Danny answered. With that he rested his arm around his girlfriend's waist and pulled Lindsay closer. He liked his friends' plan a lot. Sharing a tent with his country girl? To him, this sounded perfect. And possibly this time no bear would interrupt them.

* * *

It was late in the afternoon when Mac had chosen the place for their following night. Once again he had chosen a beautiful place right next to the river from where they had a wonderful view across the far area. The team had just started to build up their tents again. The two couples had decided to follow their plan and spend the night together. Which meant they were working on their tents together as well.

"Do you see the looks they're giving us?" Flack asked, once again glancing at his team members. Jess turned around, raising her eyebrows at her boyfriend then.

"What do you mean?" she wanted to know. "All I see are our friends, who are busy with building their tents. They're way too tired to even care."

"You think so?" Flack wasn't convinced. "I'm still waiting for anyone to ask a stupid question or for Mac to ask us what the hell we're doing."

Jess stopped what she was doing and stared at him. When Flack noticed she was watching him, he stopped as well, immediately blushing at the look she was giving him.

"What?" he asked.

"Do you seriously think anyone has a problem with us? Or with our other couple?" she wanted to know.

"Well, no...but...well, you never know," Flack replied, unsure on what he actually wanted to say.

Jess sighed. "If you have a problem with showing that we're together..."

"No!" Flack interrupted her with more determination than he wanted to. This time he didn't check whether their team members had heard him or not. He had more important things to care about. "No, that's not what I meant. I don't have a problem with that at all, really. You know what you mean to me and how much I want to be together with you. I'm just...possibly it's just an instinct." He sighed deeply. "You know what? It's stupid what I'm saying here. Who cares what anyone thinks? We're professional enough to not let that mess with our work when we're back home. There is no need to hide anything. In fact I could just go and kiss you right here and now."

Jess, who had hoped for such an answer, couldn't help but be a bit surprised by the determination in her boyfriend's voice. She knew Flack was hesitant when it came to revealing what he really felt. The fact that he was speaking about his feelings that open now and even in front of everyone though convinced her he was being honest. Possibly it was indeed an instinct; what if anyone had anything against them? But in fact he didn't care, because their relationship meant more to him than people's opinion. The realisation of that fact filled her with a wonderful warmth. Still she couldn't help the smirk that lit her face.

"Oh yes? Then prove it," she said.

Flack stared back at her for a moment. Quickly he glanced at his colleagues again before he stepped over to her and gave her a quick kiss.

"I know, not the best kiss ever, but it's a start," he told her, blushing lightly.

Jess smiled at him. "It was a very good start, believe me. I don't ask for more."

And with that they continued to work on their tent, both of them determined that no one's opinion would be allowed to ever step between them.

* * *

Together Danny and Lindsay managed to build their tent faster than anyone else of the team members. After this former problems, Danny saw himself as a tent expert now, having no problem with building one anymore at all. Proud he examined the sight in front of him, nodding satisfied. Like Lindsay had said, Mac hadn't even tried to interfere. He had raised his eyebrows at the couples and giving them a playful warning glance. The smile that had followed then had revealed he didn't have a problem with their idea at all.

Throwing another glance at the tent, Danny turned around then to look for Lindsay. She had told him she wanted to have a closer look at the camp area. He found her sitting at the edge of the river now, a couple of feet away. He smiled at the sight. It was adorable to see the small woman sitting at the broad river in the middle of those large fields.

Still with a smile on his face, he walked over to her. She was so deep in her thoughts she didn't even notice him. Once again he saw this expression on her face, like she was daydreaming. He loved to see her like that; for some reason this sight always caused his heart to beat faster.

"Would you mind if I joined you?" he asked. Snapping out of her thoughts, Lindsay looked up at Danny. Immediately she smiled at him.

"Sit down," she told him.

Nodding, Danny sat down next to her. Almost instinctively, he rested his arm around her shoulders, gently drawing her a bit closer. And also almost instinctively Lindsay rested her head against his chest, once again enjoying their closeness.

In silence they sat at the river for a while, enjoying the beautiful view in front of them. Once again Danny looked at Lindsay, still noticing her happy smile. He turned his attention back to the view. He could imagine why she liked those vacations. Even he had to admit the area had something about it that he found romantic.

"You know what?" he asked after a while.

"What is it?" she wanted to know, snuggling a bit closer against his side.

"I think we can take turns with deciding where to go on vacation to," he told her. "Next time is my turn and after that we can go camping again, if that's what you want."

He could almost feel her smile. "Like I told you, you're cute," she said then, closing her arms around him in a tight embrace. "Isn't it wonderful to be together like that? No one's interrupting us. I think next time we could stay at a hotel though. Care to share what you have in mind already?"

A smile lit Danny's face at the question. He hadn't even noticed that despite the fact they had just gotten together, they were already planning their first real vacation as a couple.

"I thought maybe we could go to a beach," he said. "A romantic beach, with palm trees maybe. The hotel should be close to the beach, so we can see the sea from the balcony. In the morning we can go right there and enjoy the sun. Then around midday we can go to one of the nice restaurants and have lunch there. In the afternoon we can have a look at the surrounding area. Who knows? Maybe we'll be able to find a lonely beach where no one interrupts us. Just like here. And in the evening, after lunch, we'll go for a walk before we go back to the beach and enjoy the sunset. And at night we can leave the door of the balcony open and listen to the sound of the sea."

Lindsay had been listening to Danny's explanation with increasing surprise. She pulled out of his arms to look up at him with a bright smile. Seeing the smile, combined with the expression in her eyes, he blushed.

"Well, that's just a rough plan I came up with during all that hiking," he told her.

Lindsay chuckled. "Do you even know how wonderful your plan is? I always knew you're a romantic man." She kissed him. "And a sweet man." Again she kissed him. "And this is exactly the vacation we'll go on in summer." She kissed him again, this time a bit longer before she pulled away to smile at him.

Danny was still blushing, but he was smiling as well. He had hoped that Lindsay would like his idea. He had to admit he would indeed say his idea was romantic. But it was the way she made him feel. He wanted to have a romantic vacation with her. He wanted to sit at a beach, cuddling with her. At the thought of their vacation, both of them could feel excitement rising inside them. But both of them also knew; no matter if they were camping or stayed at a beach hotel; those strong feelings between them were what really made them happy.

* * *

**Preview: The couples share some romantic moments. The team hikes back to the meeting point to head to the farm for the weekend.**


	15. Our Team Is Our Family

**A/N: Thank you so much for the sweet reviews and for reading this fic! Thank you so much! I've just finished writing the chapters for this story. It will have 19 chapters altogether. I didn't expect the fic to be that long! Thanks for all the encouraging reviews; they definitely motivated me! I really hope you'll also read the sequel. Special thanks to madmush, afrozenheart412, DantanaMM, kanameisawesome, Hylen, lily moonlight, ZoeyBug, saturn567, SMacked Hard, sucker-4-SMacked, DREdwards, jmc715, Lola-Ladybug13 and Desiree1989!**

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****Chapter 15: Our Team Is Our Family**

It was late in the evening. The sun was slowly disappearing behind the high mountains, colouring the sky in a beautiful reddish tone. The river was glistering in the evening sun like an orange stream of crystals. It was an impressive and stunning view.

Still Danny and Lindsay were sitting at the river, enjoying the wonderful moment. If someone had told Danny that he would enjoy a moment like this, he would have rolled his eyes at the person and called them crazy. Now he was indeed sitting there, with Lindsay cuddling in his arms, and he couldn't imagine a moment more perfect than that. Of course he wouldn't tell anyone. It was interesting to know though.

"What exactly did you think when Mac announced we would spend the vacation over here?" Lindsay asked, causing him to snap out of his thoughts.

"Not sure," Danny replied. She chuckled.

"Not sure?" she asked. "I'm sure you know exactly what you've been thinking back then."

Danny couldn't help but chuckle at her reply. "So? Okay, yes, I wasn't really amazed by the idea of having to go on vacation with nothing else but a tent and some other stuff. I have to say I never knew how much I actually love to have a shower and a toilet."

Lindsay laughed, shaking her head at him. "See? You even learn to enjoy the small things. So you weren't too amused then?"

"Not at all," Danny answered, making her laugh again. "I'm sorry, I just never spent my time that far away from New York. I grew up in the city. I'm just used to skyscrapers and cars, not to mountains and grizzly bears."

"I can imagine," she replied. "I'm happy you stopped complaining though and instead even started to enjoy it. I have to say I'm impressed by how you guys all seem to get used to being out here. Barely anyone really ever complained or had major problems."

"Yeah, maybe it was just about time we saw something different," Danny agreed. With a smirk, he added, "I have to admit though that I didn't expect two couples to get together during those few days."

"Yeah, but I'm more than glad about it," Lindsay answered, turning around in his arms so she could face him.

"Me, too," Danny agreed and kissed her.

* * *

"I have to say your plan is really great," Flack said when he and Jess finally managed to enter their tent after Mac had told them to rest so they would be awake and fit for the next day. The following day they wouldn't spend at the camp area. Instead they would hike back to the place where they had started, where his friend was already awaiting them.

"I told you so," Jess replied, kneeling down on the bed they had created with their two sleeping bags. She unzipped them.

"What are you doing?" Flack asked while watching her.

"I'm trying to make one sleeping bag out of those two," she answered, working on the zippers. Flack raised his eyebrows.

"One out of two? That's supposed to work?"

Jess chuckled. "It works, believe me. I did that before."

She didn't say more, but it was enough to catch Flack's attention. "Who did you share a sleeping bag with? And when?"

"Oh, it was a summer camp and we were camping outside one night," she answered. Glancing up at her boyfriend, she bit her tongue to not grin at the rising jealousy she could see in his eyes. "It was a bit cold in the tent and so we just made one out of two."

"Oh yeah? So you and your...boyfriend shared a bag to warm each other?" he asked, unconsciously clenching his teeth at just the thought. He knew it was a childish reaction; of course Jess had been together with other men before. But this didn't mean he had to like the idea of that.

"Exactly," Jess answered, smirking up at him. "Just with the difference that I shared the tent with my best friend. A girl, to be exact. We were ten years old back then."

Jess needed a lot of self control to not break out into laughter at the relieved expression that lit Flack's face. "Better than what you expected, huh?"

"Oh, I wouldn't have minded either way," he lied.

Jess grinned. "Fine, then I'm sure you don't mind me telling you that when I was in summer camp again a few years later..."

She didn't get to finish the sentence. Flack knelt down next to her and without a warning grabbed her and crashed his lips down onto hers.

"No more tales about summer camps and sleeping bags, okay?" he whispered. Her grin widened a bit.

"What would you rather like to talk about?" Jess asked innocently.

Flack rolled his eyes at her playfully. "How about no talking at all?"

"Sounds like a very good plan to me," Jess replied. Closing her arms around his neck, she pulled him into another deep kiss. And Flack had to agree that the idea of sharing a sleeping bag definitely was something he thought was fantastic.

* * *

Lindsay was lying in her sleeping bag already, watching how Danny changed into more comfortable clothes. A smile was plastered over her face. Not just at the sight in front of her though. She knew that after hiking for one more day, the team would head to her parents' farm for the weekend. The thought of that alone caused excitement to rise inside her. Her best friends were going to meet her family. And, even more important, her family was also going to meet her boyfriend.

"Something funny going on in your mind?" Danny asked when he crawled over to her and slid into their shared sleeping bag. "Or why are you grinning all the time?"

She chuckled. "I'm just excited because you guys are going to meet my family soon. And because I haven't visited them myself in ages. I really missed them."

Danny nodded. "I can imagine. And you also missed the farm and the animals and all the nice places you have been at as a child. You're gonna be smiling all day, like a kid." When she blushed bright red at his answer, he quickly added, "That's nothing to be ashamed of. I think it's pretty cute to be honest. I'm the one who'll be running around with a bright red face though. Hiding because of all the glares I'll receive."

"And why's that?" Lindsay laughed. "Danny, my parents and my brothers are aware of the fact that I'm not a young girl anymore and that I am having boyfriends. There is no need to be nervous. Don't listen to what Sid told you. It'll be fine. They'll love you."

"I'm honestly not sure about that," Danny told her, not convinced. "Thing is, I never met the parents of a girlfriend before. And I also don't think they would have liked me back then."

"And who cares? Important is that now you're together with me and that now you're going to meet my parents," she replied. "So stop worrying."

Danny nodded. He lay down next to her, closing her into his arms. But Lindsay could almost feel the thoughts that were running through his mind all the time. She waited a few moments, allowing him to bring on the topic. When he didn't, she sighed and moved out of his arms again so she could look at him.

"Would you please stop worrying now?" she asked. "I know they will like you. If they know me, they'll see how happy I am with you. That's all that matters."

"Yeah, I know," he agreed, releasing a tiny sigh himself. "But still...I just want to make sure they don't mind that I'm together with you. I don't know if they'll do anything with me to find out if I'm worth it. What if I fail and they think I'm a complete moron?"

"If they do so, they're crazy," Lindsay simply answered. "And because they're not, you don't have to worry. They won't interrogate you, they won't make you do crazy things. Just relax and be yourself."

Again Danny nodded. He glanced back at her for a moment, thoughts running through his mind. Then he smiled lightly. "Okay, I'll try to relax. But can we maybe...well, now that we share a tent maybe we could spend the time with something else but talking about how the family meeting will be?"

Lindsay laughed. "That's very fine to me," she told him. She closed her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. "And now," she whispered. "Relax, alright?"

Danny smirked back at her. "I'll try my best."

And with that Lindsay pulled him closer and kissed Danny. Of course he was still nervous, but he would try his best to relax.

* * *

The next day the team got up early. All of them were in a good mood, despite the fact they had to get up earlier than usual. All of them were looking forward to being back in civilization. All of them also had to admit though that the trip had been nice. Like Mac had wanted them to, they had been able to relax without any stress around them. Of course there had been moments that had caused trouble, but all in all it had been a great experience and it had brought the team closer together.

They walked for most of the day until late midday. All of them were in a mixed mood. On one side they were very excited, on the other side they felt a little melancholic. They had shared a great time together.

"I have to say I wouldn't mind if we stayed another week out there," Sid said while they were following the path that would bring them back to the meeting point.

"It was indeed very nice," Hawkes admitted. Adam and Jess nodded in agreement.

"I think you should arrange more vacations with your team, Mac," Stella said, with a smile resting her hand on Mac's arm to emphasize her words.

Smiling at the comments, Mac turned towards his other team members. Lindsay couldn't help the grin that lit her face. She knew what her boss wanted to know. Danny and Flack exchanged a short glance, both men sighing.

"Fine, Mac. You were right of course," Danny answered then. "It was a very nice vacation. It was good to relax a bit without any other tourists or other people around."

Mac's smile widened. "That's great to hear. Then I'm sure you'll like to have such a vacation again."

The team laughed at the way some of them stared at their boss at his suggestion.

"Oh, well, Mac, it was nice, but sometimes it's the best to just do something once and then keep it in your mind," Flack said.

Mac laughed as well. "We'll see about that."

Another hour later, the team members finally arrived their target. Like before, Jake was already awaiting them, right next to their large car. He was greeting them with a broad smile.

"Welcome back!" he said. "Wow, like Mac promised, you're perfectly in time. I hope you had a wonderful time out there in the wilderness."

"We did for sure," Mac answered.

"Then the discovery path that you followed was a good choice I guess," Jake replied.

"I would rather call it love path," Adam suggested, throwing a grin at the two couples, all of them immediately blushing. It didn't stay unnoticed by Mac, who rolled his eyes.

"It was a great trip, like always. But I think we all agree it's good to be back as well," he told Jake, who nodded.

"That's what people always say. I'm happy to see you city guys enjoyed the wilderness now. It's a great compliment to the beauty that's the nature out here." Still with that broad smile, he nodded towards the van. "And I think now you want to get to your next target, huh?"

"You got the address already?" Mac asked.

Jake nodded. "Of course. Just hop into the car already."

The team didn't complain. All of them were exhausted after yet another long hiking trip. They were glad when they could finally sit down again, this time not somewhere out there in the wilderness but instead in a comfortable car.

Danny was keeping a close eye on Lindsay though. He knew how much she had enjoyed the trip and he wondered how she was feeling now that she would have to go back to the city. Apart from his nervousness, he was glad they made a short stop at her parents' farm; so they could slowly get used to civilization again. Even if the thought of where they would spend the weekend was still causing him to get nervous.

* * *

They were sitting in the van and had just left the parking lot. Danny noticed how Lindsay turned around and stared out of the window, glancing back at where they had arrived a few days ago. Doing the same, he couldn't help the lump that all of the sudden appeared in his throat. Glancing at the other team members, he realised all of them were silent as well, staring out of their windows, all of them with the same expression. Despite themselves, the time they had spent in the wilderness had been greater than expected; they had had a lot of fun together.

"Are you alright?" Danny whispered after a while. Lindsay turned around to him. Noticing the warmth in his expression, she smiled softly.

"It's always the same," she answered. "You get so close out there. And it's so peaceful. All the stress, all the people that usually are around you, work, all that doesn't matter. You can just relax."

Danny nodded. "I know what you mean. But one thing won't change, even when we're back in New York. We're all still that close. The vacation was good for our team. When we'll meet at work, we'll have to do our jobs, but still we can think about what we did out there and how great it was. It will unite us. Especially the two of us. And those two over there."

Lindsay's smile widened lightly. "That's so very true."

"And maybe soon we could do another team vacation," Jess, who had overheard the little conversation, suggested. She had spoken a little louder so the others could hear her as well. At the words, everyone looked up.

"I think that's a very good idea indeed," Hawkes agreed. "I mean look at us guys. I might sound a bit sappy, but it feels like family. It's great to go on vacation with your friends. I'm sure we'd have fun."

"As long as we do something else next time," Flack replied.

"Yes, we could go to a beach maybe," Lindsay said, winking at Danny, who smiled.

Stella, who was sitting closest to Mac, turned to him. "What do you say, Mac? Will we do another team vacation?"

Mac turned around in his seat so he could look at his team. He found them all glancing at him with curiosity. He watched them for a moment before he smiled and nodded.

"I think a beach sounds good to me as well. I'm sure we'll find something nice," he answered.

The whole team cheered at his answer. Once again Lindsay glanced at Danny, who was still smiling at her. She knew he was completely right. Their team was very close now, closer than they had been before. And all of them were already looking forward to their next team vacation.

* * *

**Preview: The team arrives at the farm.**


	16. Trip To The Farm

**A/N: Thank you so much again for all those sweet, wonderful and great reviews! Also huge thanks to everyone who's reading this story and to the ones who added it to their favourites and alerts! I know, a new update after such a short time, but the muse can't get enough of the idea at the moment. ;) Special thanks to justme667, afrozenheart412, Hannah554, DREdwards, kanameisawesome, Lola-Ladybug13, Jupitor's-Cowgirl, saturn567, DantanaMM, Hylen, sucker-4-SMacked and Montana Angell!**

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****Chapter 16: Trip To the Farm**

The closer they got to the Monroes' farm, the more nervous Danny got. Lindsay, who was secretly watching him, needed a lot of self control to prevent herself from laughing. He was just too adorable when he was nervous. Especially this time, because she knew exactly why he was nervous. She also knew he didn't have a reason to feel like that. She knew her parents would love him, already because of how happy he made her. But she could possibly repeat that over and over again; he would stay nervous anyways.

It took them a while to get to the farm and while the team was sitting in the car, driving along the highway, all of them realised how tired they actually were. Hiking almost every day, sleeping in tents and being out in the country had been good for them and had definitely made them fitter. Now though their bodies were slowly calming down from the trip and all of them could feel exhaustion taking over. So not too long after they had left the meeting point, all team members had fallen asleep, except Mac and Lindsay, who were still used to trips like that.

While Mac quietly talked to his friend, Lindsay used her chance to watch her sleeping friends. The sight immediately caused a smile to spread across her face. Danny, who was sitting next to her, had rested his head against her shoulder, his body lightly heaving and falling with every soft breath.

Watching Flack and Jess, she was convinced those two would have hurting necks and backs when they woke up again; when Flack had fallen asleep, he had collapsed onto his girlfriend's lap. Jess's head now was resting on top of Flack's back. It was an adorable sight, even though she was sure those two wouldn't feel all too well when they woke up again.

The rest of the team also was sitting in the most strange and sometimes also uncomfortable positions, deep asleep, all of them relaxing after the exhausting yet wonderful trip.

A team vacation. Thinking about the previous days, Lindsay's smile widened. She had been on a lot of team vacations while she had been working in Montana. Often they had been out in the wilderness, enjoying the quiet of nature and the closeness. Still it had been different. Never before she had felt such a strong connection. Not only was she together with one of her team members now, also she felt like she was friends with all of the others for years already.

It was a closeness Lindsay had hoped for when she had moved to New York. She had been willing to leave her past and everything that was connected to that behind. She had hoped that if she did that, she would also be able to find friends among her co-workers. That within a short time she would be even closer to them than to anyone else before she hadn't expected.

"Something nice you're thinking about, Montana?" Danny's sleepy voice interrupted Lindsay in her thoughts.

Glancing down, she found her boyfriend peeking up at her, even though he was still half asleep already grinning at her. Playfully she rolled her eyes at him, smiling as well though.

"How did you sleep?" she wanted to know. "Was my shoulder a nice pillow?"

Danny chuckled. "Yeah, after all that fresh air and the hiking, I really needed to sleep a bit. So how about you? You still didn't answer my question. What have you been thinking about all the time that made you smile?"

Lindsay couldn't prevent herself from blushing lightly. "Oh, I was just thinking how much I enjoy being a member of this team. Honestly, when I came to New York, I didn't expect to make such wonderful friends. It's an amazing feeling, believe me. It's like being part of a family."

Danny's grin changed into a warm smile when he nodded. "It is indeed like a family. I mean, look at us. Mac and Stella are quite the parents. Sid is the crazy uncle with the scary stories. Hawkes is the guy you can always go to when you need something. And the rest of us are the kids, always causing some kind of trouble. It's like one big family meeting. I think every team at work could dream of something like we have," he answered.

Lindsay's smile widened at his answer. "That's the way I'm feeling as well," she replied. Blushing a bit more, she added, "And especially I didn't expect to start a relationship with one of those friends."

Danny's smile changed back into a grin, but still she could see the warmth in his expression. "You know, when you came to New York and started to work for us, I didn't plan on feeling that way, but I immediately knew you'd fit in perfectly," he told her. "I have to admit I was mad because Aiden had been fired. But then you came, the powerful country girl from Montana who had no problem to comment back. It was only a question of time until I'd fall for you. I'm just glad we did this trip because it made me finally admit what I'm thinking about you. And feeling for you. Believe it or not, but even I can be shy sometimes."

Lindsay had to bite her tongue to not laugh at his comment. "You and shy? No way," she replied. Bending forward, she placed a soft kiss against his lips. "I'm happy we finally admitted our feelings. And that we're together. I never thought I would fall for such a cocky, teasing guy like you. But obviously we're not the only ones who think we match."

Danny smiled back at her and this time there was nothing visible in his eyes that could reveal he was teasing her. He was truly happy by what she had told him. "True indeed. But now that we're gonna go on vacation with our family here again in a while, I hope we'll still get to do our romantic moments on the beach and everything."

Lindsay chuckled. "Don't worry, you'll get your romantic moments," she promised, kissing him again. She had to admit that moments like this already were enough to make her happy; who would have expected that sitting in car seats next to each other, kissing, could be that romantic already? It was possible though.

"Oh, dammit." The cursing of another familiar voice interrupted the romantic kissing session. Pulling apart again, the couple turned around, both of them laughing at the sight in front of them. Flack had just woken up and found himself in a painful position. With himself resting on his girlfriend's lap and her resting on top of him, he groaned, trying to sit up straight again. This caused Jess to wake up, who also groaned at her uncomfortable position.

"Jess, as much as I enjoy being close to you, could you get up from my back?" Flack asked from his position on her lap.

"Sure." Jess sat up, stretching her back and sighing lightly. Flack did the same, releasing another groan.

"Damn car seats," he cursed.

The conversation had woken up the others as well. All of them felt a little uncomfortable with their current positions, but neither of them was hurting as much as the couple. Jess though started to see the amusing side of the situation.

Rubbing her neck, she ran her hand through Flack's short hair. "Oh, poor baby. It's not the car seat's fault you rather liked to use my lap as a pillow than to just lean against the window like every other normal person."

This comment and the way Flack looked back at his girlfriend in response caused the rest of the team members to break out into laughter.

"That's what I meant when I said we're the troublemakers," Danny whispered with a wink.

Lindsay smiled and nodded. "Yeah, and it's what makes our little lab family even better," she answered, causing her boyfriend to nod in agreement.

* * *

Another hour later, the van finally arrived at its target. At this point, the team had slept enough and was fully awake again. They had used their chance to question Lindsay about the farm, about her parents and brothers and what they could do at the ranch. Of course they had also teased Danny because he was going to meet the family and admit he was her new boyfriend. He had replied with simply rolling his eyes at his friends, trying to hide now nervous he really was.

The moment the van turned onto the small road that led right to the farm buildings, Danny instinctively grabbed Lindsay's hand, squeezing it lightly. She didn't say a word at his reaction. Of course he was excited and nervous, so was she. In a good way though.

The closer they got to the buildings, the more excited Lindsay got. She turned as good as she could to have a look at whether her parents were already awaiting them or not. Like expected she found her parents standing in front of the main house. But they weren't alone. Next to them, she saw three tall men; all of her brothers had decided to come over as well. She had to bite her lips to fight back the rising laughter. What a nice and possibly scaring welcome committee.

"Here we are," Jake said satisfied when he finally parked the car on the large forecourt.

Adam sighed relieved. "Finally we can get out of that sitting position again."

Hawkes nodded in agreement. "It'll be nice to walk again. After spending the last few days with hiking, it feels strange to sit for longer than a few minutes, in a small seat like that."

Lindsay, who felt like she was just turning back into a child again, hardly could keep herself from pulling the door open and jumping out to rush to her family. She could still feel Danny's hand tightly closed around hers though. She didn't want to just run and leave him alone with his nervousness.

Together the team members left the van, all of them glad they could get back into a standing position again. Like Hawkes had said, their bodies were still used to walking at least a couple of hours a day. Immediately they were greeted by the Monroes, who had already approached the car. Lindsay couldn't hide her excitement and the wish to just throw herself at her parents and brothers. After months of only talking on the phone or exchanging emails, she had missed them a lot.

"Hey, there are our guests finally!" the woman, around Sid's age, exclaimed. "Lindsay, I'm glad to meet all your dear friends. I'm Sally Monroe, that's my husband Jeffrey and our sons Allan, David and Shane. I'm sure Lindsay told you all that already. I'm happy you decided to stay at our farm for the weekend. Ask my dear husband, I love to have guests. The more the better."

With that Sally kept on chatting, in the same movement somehow managing to embrace all of the team members, her daughter so much she had to gasp for air. Lindsay's brothers politely greeted the arrivals, so did Jeffrey.

"You know, your Mom is excited ever since you asked her if you and your team could stay at the farm," he whispered into Lindsay's ear when he embraced her. "So don't expect her to calm down any time soon. Your friends won't have a single quiet minute for the rest of the day."

Lindsay chuckled at the answer. Her father wasn't even joking. Their mother hadn't been lying when she had said that she loved guests. Whenever someone came for a visit, no matter if it was a family member, a friend or people she didn't even know, Sally got excited and tried her best to make those people feel as comfortable as possible. This also meant she talked to them without stopping for a single moment, constantly asking if they needed something to eat, to drink or anything else she could do for them.

It was something she loved a lot about her family though, which was the reason why she had suggested that after their hiking trip, the team could stay at her parents' farm for the weekend before they would head back to New York.

While Sally tried to get the whole team, her sons and her husband into the main house of the farm, Lindsay looked for Danny, finding him not far away. So far no one had a suspicion, but from the bright red colour of his face and the expression in his eyes, she could tell he was getting more nervous by the second. From what she knew it was the first time he met the parents of one of his girlfriends, so he had no experience with such moments. She could only imagine what he was expecting that was going to happen and she had a hard time with not teasing him about that.

"Your parents are...uh, nice. So are you brothers," he told her when she approached him. "And nice farm." He tried to smile, which caused her to laugh.

"I have no idea what creepy stories you've heard about meeting your girlfriend's family, but there is no need to worry, believe me," she reassured him once again. Danny didn't look convinced though.

"I'll remind you of that when they start yelling at me," he told her.

Laughing in response, Lindsay grabbed his arm and snuggled closer against Danny. She didn't allow him to back off. While they followed the team and the family into the house, she allowed herself to let her eyes wander over the surrounding area for a moment. Once again a smile lit her face. It was wonderful to be at the farm after such a long time. It was wonderful to see the wheat fields, softly swaying in the light breeze of the beautiful spring evening. Still she couldn't deny she was looking forward to seeing the skyline of New York again as well.

* * *

**Preview: The weekend at the farm continues.**


	17. First Evening At The Farm

**A/N: Whoa! Just whoa! Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews! And of course also thanks to everyone for reading and for adding the story! Special thanks to afrozenheart412, sucker-4-SMacked, DREdwards, kanameisawesome, Hannah554, Lola-Ladybug13, saturn567, Jupitor's-Cowgirl, DantanaMM, lily moonlight, Hylen, ZoeyBug and Montana Angell!**

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****Chapter 17: First Evening At The Farm**

"So, now that you're here, how was the trip? Did you have a great time out there in the beauty of the Montanan wilderness? Did you enjoy being away from the stressful city? I'm sure my daughter told you so much about our hiking trips out there. There is no better way to relax," Sally said and talked without actually taking a break to allow one of the team members to answer.

All of them had sat down around the giant dining table in the huge kitchen of the main house, together with Sally and Jeffrey. The brothers had to head back to the city again. Sally had cooked dinner, just for the case the team members would arrive and be hungry. In this case dinner meant a couple of thick, juicy steaks, potatoes and vegetables. A giant meal, but like she had expected, all of them had been longing for exactly that. Now she was watching them with a satisfied smile while the team was enjoying the huge amounts of food.

"It was a fantastic trip," Adam managed to say between bites of food. "Apart from some plants out there."

Sally laughed. "Let me guess. Poison ivy? You're not the first one who ended up getting too close to that stuff. She was just a young girl, but you all surely know how curious Lindsay is."

"Mom!" Lindsay interrupted her mother, immediately blushing bright red. "I don't think my friends and colleagues are interested in childhood stories."

"Well, I am interested," Hawkes answered, the others nodding in agreement.

While Lindsay groaned, Sally's grin widened. "Well, Lindsay loves nature. Whenever she could she was out in the woods, looking for animals or just for some hiking. Everything was a big adventure for her. We told her to be careful what to touch or to get close to and what she should rather stay away from. She didn't listen of course. So one day she came back home, telling us she had touched a plant and that it was hurting her. In fact we found out she managed to fall into a whole bush of poison ivy. The poor girl looked like she had showered too hot."

While Lindsay managed to blush even more, everyone else broke out into laughter at the story.

"Lindsay, you never told us what fantastic stories your mother can tell," Flack managed to say between laughter, forcing himself to not spit across the table.

Danny nodded. "Just as good as she can cook," he added, blushing when he saw how Flack raised his eyebrows at him immediately.

"Already trying to impress the future mother-in-law?" he asked, loud enough that only Danny could hear him, immediately causing his best friend to blush bright red.

But the compliment seemed to have had the wished effect. Sally's smile widened, if even possible. "Thank you so much for that, Danny!" she exclaimed. "Do you want another steak? Or some more potatoes?"

"Uh...sure," Danny answered, trying to smile. Lindsay had to bite her tongue to not laugh at his facial expression. She had never expected it to happen, but he really looked like he wasn't hungry anymore; it seemed like a wonder.

"Sally, don't force the poor guy to eat even more or he won't be able to eat anything for the next few weeks," Jeffrey stepped in as if he had read Danny's mind, smiling at Sally, who sighed and sat down at the table again. To the rest of the team he added, "I'm glad to know you enjoyed the trip. It's not everyone's cup of tea to be out in the wilderness without any civilizations, without even a proper bathroom."

"It was very relaxing though," Mac answered, taking a sip from his beer. "The last few weeks in New York have been stressful, so a time out like this was exactly what we all needed."

Adam nodded, grinning. "Especially for a few certain people it was nice I guess." He winked at the two couples, who couldn't help but blush at the comment directed at them. Nervously Danny glanced at Lindsay's parents. To his relief, Sally was too busy with trying to convince her guests to eat more. Jeffrey though had raised his eyebrows lightly at the comment, still having a friendly expression though. Danny didn't know how to interpret that and so quickly turned his attention back to his plate.

They continued chatting for a while until everyone had finished eating. Then Sally and Jeffrey led the team to another, smaller house on the large land of the farm. It was the guest house; a medium sized house with a facade made of rough, grey stones and a thatched roof. It looked like it had been imported from an old movie, and all of them had to stop and stare at it for a moment in awe.

"What a beautiful house," Jess said, her eyes sparkling. "I've always wanted to stay in such a house! It gives you the perfect country feeling."

Lindsay chuckled. "It does indeed. That's possibly why it's so loved by guests."

"Are there any guests at the moment?" Stella wanted to know while the team followed Sally into the guest house.

Sally shook her head. "No, not this weekend. The house is all for you."

"Really? That's very kind of you," Stella replied.

Sally nodded with a smile. Before she could say more, Jeffrey continued, "Alright. The rooms are upstairs. There are enough rooms for you all, so just discuss who takes which. If you need anything, just come over to the main house and feel free to ask. We'll have breakfast, lunch and dinner together. I'll see you tomorrow morning then."

With that he grabbed one of Sally's arms and pulled her with him. Sally protested, but Jeffrey firmly reassured her that if anyone needed anything, they all had mouths to ask. A moment later, the door of the guest house closed and the couple headed back to the main house.

Mac let his eyes wander over his team members. All of them were smiling and in a good mood, enjoying the beautiful house they would spend the weekend in. All of them also looked very tired though.

"I think the best to do now is to head upstairs to the rooms. It was a long and exhausting day for all of us," he announced.

Everyone nodded in agreement grabbing their large rucksacks to follow Mac's order. Flack, who had been standing next to Jess, gently grabbed her arm to turn her attention to him.

"She said there are enough rooms for all of us," he said quietly. "What do you think about that?"

Jess looked back at him, of course immediately understanding what he wanted to tell her with that question. She had a hard time to not break out into laughter. Raising her eyebrows lightly, she then answered, "Don, why don't you just ask what you want to ask?"

"Huh? I just did," he replied.

"Oh, really?" She shrugged playfully. "Fine. Well, I think we should use our chance to have the whole guest house for us. So we should use as many rooms as possible. I'm sure they'll be fantastic rooms. Maybe we could have two next to each other." Biting her tongue to not grin, Jess lifted her rucksack up.

"What? No!" Flack answered, the almost shocked tone in his voice making her grin. "Come on, Jess. You know what I want to know. Can't we just share a room? I don't think she'll come over here and check if we're sharing a room or not. Also- how old are we?"

Once again Jess turned around to Flack. Playfully she glanced at him in silence like she was thinking about what to answer. Then she shrugged. "Fine. Also a nice idea." She wanted to turn back to the stairs, but was stopped when Flack grabbed her arm and turned her back around.

"You never planned to sleep in separate rooms, right?" he wanted to know.

Jess's grin widened. "Just wanted to hear it from you. Don, I don't always want to read your mind when you ask me something. If you want to share a room with me, just ask me exactly that, not some random question that will lead to your wished answer. Like you said, how old are we? There's no need to be shy about wishes."

Flack rolled his eyes at his girlfriend. "Fine, Ma'am. Next time I'll ask a proper question if I want something."

Jess laughed. "Finally you understood it."

With that they followed their team members upstairs.

* * *

It was late and already dark outside when Lindsay walked through the wooden entrance door of the guest house again. She smiled at the voices and laughter she could hear even after closing the door again. When she had thought about spending the weekend after the camping trip on her parents' farm, she had hoped her friends would enjoy the place. Now all of them seemed to be in awe about her family, the guest house and the ranch. She had gotten exactly what she had been hoping for.

With a smile on her lips, she stepped away from the house and onto the forecourt. A strong breeze was blowing, creeping under her thin shirt, rustling in the foliage of the tall trees on the ranch. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. During the last few days she had gotten used to the fresh, clean air of the country. Next to that, there was also that smell that was so typical for living on a farm.

Still smiling, Lindsay opened her eyes again and looked up into the deep, dark sky. The stars and the moon were sparkling above, like millions of diamonds. It was an impressive sight; just like Mac had told them the one night when they had spent hours with staring up into the sky, enjoying what they weren't able to see in the city.

So many nights she had spent out at night, lying in the fields or in the back of her car, watching the stars that were so far away but seemed so near she felt like she could grasp them.

"Always an impressive sight, isn't it?" a familiar voice let her snap out of her thoughts. She hadn't noticed how her father had joined her on the forecourt. He was now walking over to her, smiling warmly.

"Yeah. The stars are so beautiful out here," she answered. "Then again I also love the skyline of New York at night. It's hard to decide what I love more, because both are just impressive."

Jeffrey nodded understanding. "Now you can enjoy both of those worlds," he told her. "You can always come here and enjoy the quiet and beauty of the country, but you can also always go back to New York and be together with your friends. And your boyfriend."

For a moment Lindsay wondered if she had misunderstood her father. "What?" she asked, glad he couldn't see she was blushing at just the thought of him speaking out what in fact was true.

Jeffrey's smile widened. "Lindsay, I know you, right? I see how much you love your co-workers. They're more than just colleagues, they're friends and you can't imagine how happy I am that you found such wonderful friends over there. I was hoping you would. But as much as I can see that, I can also see that to one of them you're closer than you are to the others," he laughed. "Don't look so surprised. I can read body language, just like you CSIs can. I have to say Danny seems to be a really nice guy though."

Lindsay knew she was blushing now. But the words of her father caused her to smile brightly. Of course she had known her family would like Danny. But hearing it from her father meant even more to her.

"I think tomorrow the two of you could just be honest and make it official, just like your other friends," Jeffrey added.

Lindsay nodded. "I think that's a very good idea," she agreed. Smiling shyly, she added, "Thank you, Dad."

"You're very welcome," Jeffrey answered. "And I think now I better get in there again. Someone else is waiting for you I think."

With that he nodded towards the guest house before he turned around and headed back to the main house. Lindsay noticed Danny, who was standing in the door, watching her. Quickly she made her way over to him, her smile widening at the slightly nervous look he gave her.

"Why do I have the feeling your father knows more than he's supposed to?" he greeted her.

Lindsay couldn't help but laugh. "Because you're a mind reader." She kissed him. "And just so you know, he's happy for us and wants us to make it official." Again she laughed at his surprised look.

"Are you sure about that?" he wanted to know.

Nodding, Lindsay closed her arms around his waist, pulling Danny closer. "Yeah, I am. I think that's the moment where I should say I told you so?"

Danny laughed as well. "So who's the tease now?" he asked back.

Smiling back at him, Lindsay moved even closer and kissed Danny again. She could imagine how glad he was that her father was accepting their relationship and was even happy for them. The vacation wasn't just nice, it was romantic and wonderful; much better than they had expected.

* * *

**Preview: The couples share some romantic moment. And another couple manages to get together.**


	18. So Close

**A/N: Like always thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews! Also huge thanks to everyone for reading this fic and for adding it! Special thanks to afrozenheart412, sucker-4-SMacked, saturn567, Lola-Ladybug13, Hannah554, kanameisawesome, SMacked Hard, DantanaMM, ZoeyBug, Hylen, DREdwards, lily moonlight and Desiree1989!**

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****Chapter 18: So Close**

Lindsay was lying on her side, watching Danny with an amused smile. He was deep asleep and had no idea she was watching him. Which meant he couldn't pretend or do anything consciously. And that was what she couldn't get enough of.

Danny was lying on his back, arms spread across the width of the bed. The blanket was barely covering him anymore. At least he wasn't snoring though. His facial expression was relaxed and she couldn't help but think she had never seen anyone that cute and adorable before. Of course she knew he would get mad at her if she told him that. But secretly she admired how sweet the troublemaker next to her could look like.

Carefully she moved closer, making sure the bed didn't make a noise to reveal her. Despite the fact neither of them actually had to, both of them were completely dressed in their casual clothes they always wore for sleeping. This meant Danny was wearing a light grey shirt and dark grey boxer shorts. If it was up to her, he didn't have to stay like that though.

A smirk lit Lindsay's face at the thought, but she couldn't help but blush lightly. So far they had been close, but not that close. They had exchanged several heated kisses and tender gestures. Really intimate they hadn't been yet due to the fact they had had to sleep in tents with all of their friends very near. The fact that the longing for some more closeness increased with every passing moment though was undeniable.

Once again she watched her boyfriend. But the urge to touch him was so strong she couldn't resist it any longer. Carefully she brought her hand to rest on where the hem of his shirt met the waistband of his boxers. She could feel him tense lightly, but the light contact wasn't enough to wake him up.

Her hand remained at its place for a moment. Then she slowly allowed it to slide under the soft fabric of his shirt. Chills ran through her fingers into her arm and through her entire body when her fingertips found the warm skin beneath. His muscles flexed at the feeling of her fingers feather-lightly touching him.

Once again she stilled for a moment. Then she let her hand wander further upwards, all the time with her fingers brushing over his skin while she pulled the shirt upwards in the same motion. He shuddered lightly. All the time Lindsay kept her eyes focussed on his face. So it didn't stay unnoticed to her when Danny's formerly relaxed expression changed. He wasn't asleep anymore, so much she could tell from his reaction.

But he tried to hide that fact in front of her. Lindsay could imagine why. Danny wanted to see what she'd do next. But she wasn't going to give in to his little game. Instead she simply pulled her hand away and out from under his shirt. She could see him frown and she had to fight hard against the urge to laugh.

"That was mean, you know," Danny complained, opening his eyes.

Lindsay laughed at the way he was glaring at her. "Why? What did you expect me to do? To give you some action to wake you up?"

Danny raised his eyebrows at her, smirking at her words. "A little action, huh? Anything special you have in mind there, Montana?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Not what you think, Messer." She moved to get up.

But before Lindsay could even reach the edge of the bed, Danny grabbed her arm and with one quick motion pulled her back which caused her to land on her back. Before she could fight back, he rolled on top of her and pinned her into the mattress. She gasped at the sudden action, finding Danny grinning at her.

"You know, we're not in a tent anymore and I'm sure the walls are thick enough so our dear friends won't hear us," he whispered. Even though he tried to seem like he was teasing, Lindsay could hear the change in his voice. And she could see the expression in his eyes, revealing the desire that was blazing deep inside him.

They gazed at each other like that for a moment, the tension between them so thick one could cut it with a knife. But all of the sudden he pulled back and wanted to roll away from her. Quickly Lindsay closed her arms around Danny's waist, keeping him in place.

"That's all? I thought you had more in mind," she said with raised eyebrows. To her surprise, Danny blushed lightly.

"I think we agreed to wait with that until we're back home," he answered. "I don't want to push you into something you don't want."

Despite the actually serious situation, Lindsay couldn't help but smile. Those moments were what she liked so much about him. He could be a jerk at times, but then again he could be so sweet and adorable.

"I think I'm old enough to say no to my boyfriend when I don't want something," she replied. "And now what do you say? Maybe we just limit our rule to staying in tents with our friends sleeping next to us, also in tents?"

Danny's formerly slightly unsure expression immediately changed into a smirk. "I think I like that idea."

Lindsay smirked back at him. "Also I think this place is quite romantic, don't you think?"

Danny shrugged. "A room in an old guest house on a Montanan ranch? Yeah, not bad at all."

Lindsay nodded. She closed her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. "And now that we clarified that; what exactly did you have in mind?"

With his smirk widening, Danny bent down to kiss Lindsay again. Definitely he had something in mind. He had wanted to make sure she was willing to make that step as well. But now they had clarified that and could enjoy their closeness, knowing for sure that their relationship was about more than just sexual tension.

* * *

"I thought we wanted to discuss how you guys want to arrange that dinner for Mac and Stella," Flack said. He was sitting on one of the large hay bales in the barn of the Monroes' farm. Jess was standing next to one of the stalls, stroking the tall, brown horse that was standing in it. The smile that had lit her face, caused a strong warmth to rise inside her. He loved to see that smile. Not only because she looked incredibly pretty when she was smiling but also because he loved to see her happy. If he found anything he could do to make her smile like that every day, he wouldn't hesitate to do it. Even if this meant he had to head to her favourite coffee shop every morning to buy her favourite coffee for her to surprise her with that in the morning.

"Yeah, that's the plan. Why do you ask?" Jess asked back, gently running a hand through the soft, warm fur of the animal.

"Because I only see the two of us here so far," he answered. "Do you even think our cute couple will show up here as well?"

Jess chuckled. The smirk on Flack's face revealed what he was actually thinking. "If you think they're still busy with what we could hear from next door, then who knows? I don't know how much stamina they have."

"Jess!" Flack's eyes widened at her comment, so did he grin. "I really wonder what you have in mind there. I'm not sure I want to talk about that though."

Biting her bottom lip, she shook her head at her boyfriend. "What? If you're jealous, we can just head back to our own room and do the same."

Playfully she rolled her eyes when Flack's smirk turned into a broad grin. He got up and headed over to where Jess was standing next to the horse. A stopped in front of her, only a few inches separating them. Even though she wanted to slap the teasing grin of his face, Jess couldn't help the shivers the closeness was sending down her spine.

"I think I like your idea," he told her, gently grabbing her around her waist and pulling her closer. And before she could reply, he bent down to kiss her. Instinctively she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing herself tight against him. Quickly everything else around them was forgotten. All that mattered was the sensation of their kiss.

"Oh, come on, get a room," Danny interrupted them.

Instinctively the couple parted again, staring at Danny and Lindsay, who had just entered the barn as well, both of them grinning. Even though those two were well aware of their relationship, like everyone else of their friends, they couldn't prevent themselves from blushing.

"Says the right person," Flack managed to reply then. "Not that I wanna interfere or judge. But you do know that we could here exactly what the two of you were doing next door this morning?"

It was Danny's and Lindsay's turn to blush. Briefly they exchanged a glance, both of them blushing even more when their eyes met.

"Then I hope you enjoyed the show," Danny simply commented back then. "Now our personal love stories aside, we're here for a reason I guess. If the ladies might tell us what they have in mind? After all it was your idea to arrange a dinner for our two friends."

Like he had expected, both women had a clear idea of how they imagined the dinner they wanted to arrange in the barn to bring two of their friends to the point they were at already. And so the next hour was spent with discussing about how exactly they wanted to do that.

* * *

The day passed quickly. Danny, Lindsay, Flack and Jess mostly were busy with working on their plan. The two women had set up every detail of what they had to think about. Due to the fact that their idea was a surprise and needed to be kept away from Mac and Stella, they had to be careful when they were talking about it and to who.

To make sure no one was asking questions in the wrong moment, they had shared their plan with Sid, Hawkes, Adam and Lindsay's parents. Like expected, especially Sally had gotten excited. Danny had used the moment to announce that apart from their plan, he also wanted to let them know that he was together with Lindsay. Jeffrey had congratulated both of them, giving Lindsay a knowing smile. Sally had only smiled, told them she was happy for them before she had turned her full attention to the meal she wanted to cook for the other couple to be.

Now Danny and Lindsay were standing next to the lovingly set dining table in the middle of the barn. It was a wonderful sight; Danny had to admit he was impressed by what his girlfriend and her friend had managed to create. The wooden table with two wooden chairs standing across of each other, was decorated with a single white candle, adding some soft lights to the dimmed lights of the barn, sparkling in the crystal clear glasses and silver plates. Also there was a bouquet of red roses to be found on the table, letting the sight appear even more romantic.

"You know, now that I see that I wish I would have thought about surprising you with that," Danny admitted.

Hearing those honest words, Lindsay couldn't help but blush immediately. She knew he wouldn't hesitate to do something romantic for her. She hadn't expected him to be such a romantic man, and every of those tiny suggestions he made caused a wonderful, comfortable feeling to rise inside her.

"Speaking of us," she said then. "I'm glad you talked to my parents and told them we're together. Didn't I tell you it wouldn't be bad?"

Danny chuckled. "Well, your father already knew we're together anyways and your mother was too distracted by the progress of cooking a three courses menu too actually get mad at me. Your brothers still don't know though."

"Aw, don't worry about them." Lindsay moved closer, hooking her arms around one of Danny's and snuggling against his side. "Everyone loves you. They won't be an exception."

Danny couldn't help the relieved smile that lit his face at Lindsay's words. He wanted to say more when they heard voices from outside the barn. Quickly they got in position when they heard Jess and Flack trying to convince their friends.

"Would you please tell me why exactly we have to go to the barn right now and why we can't do that later?" Mac wanted to know.

"Oh, it's really important, Mac," Jess told him, not sure what exactly to say that made sense enough for Mac to believe her. "You'll see when you're there, okay?"

"Is that a surprise or something like that?" Stella wanted to know, trying to hide her amusement. While Mac still tried to find out why they had to go to the barn, which made no sense in his eyes, she already knew what was going on. Those two had planned something and if she wasn't completely wrong, a certain other couple surely was involved as well.

"Here we are," Flack announced then, almost pushing Mac and Stella through the wide opened, large doors of the barn. Danny and Lindsay, who were standing on either side of the table now, immediately smiled when their friends entered the large room. Like they all had hoped, Stella's and Mac's eyes widened in surprise at the sight in front of them.

"We're pretty sure about what you're thinking now," Danny said then before either of them could ask questions. "Don't get us wrong, the two of you surely don't need any help. Anyway we wanted to do something nice for you. So we thought we could arrange a nice candle light dinner for you. Food will be served by Sally."

Lindsay nodded. "So, we hope you two have a great evening. Enjoy the dinner."

With that the couple quickly headed over to the entrance of the barn and together with Flack and Jess left. Mac and Stella, who had been listening to Danny and Lindsay with constantly increasing surprise, looked at each other.

"So, a candle light dinner," Stella said then.

"Yeah." Mac nodded.

Once again they looked at each other before they broke out into laughter. Neither of them could deny that they knew exactly what was happening and what exactly their friends had planned for them.

"Aren't they just cute, our little match makers?" Stella asked while she and Mac walked over to the table.

"In all honesty, I can't believe they arranged a candle light dinner for us," Mac answered, pulling a chair away from the table to help Stella to sit down before he headed over to the chair across of her.

Stella nodded. "Yes, it's an incredibly sweet idea if you ask me."

"Yeah," Mac agreed. He wanted to say more but was interrupted when Sally entered the barn, carrying two large plates with food. She smiled broadly, clearly enjoying her role.

"May I serve the first dish already?" she asked.

Mac and Stella exchanged a short glance, both of them smiling before they nodded. A candle light dinner, just for them; a surprise neither of them had expected but both of them clearly enjoyed.

* * *

When Mac and Stella had realised that their friends had arranged dinner for them, they had been surprised, even a bit hesitant. Now, around two hours later, the two of them had completely forgotten where they were and what exactly was happening. Too busy they were with chatting and laughing and enjoying the good food.

"I have to admit, as much as I enjoyed the quiet of the wilderness, I'm glad to have a bathroom again. This farm is just too wonderful," Stella said, taking a sip from her red wine.

Mac nodded in agreement. "I agree with you on that. I have to admit though that I'm very surprised by how much our team members enjoyed the trip. I was truly preparing for a lot of complains."

Stella laughed. "Indeed. Don't you feel like their father sometimes, having to make sure all of them behave?"

Mac laughed as well. "Then again our kids have a good taste. This dinner here was a fantastic idea."

Stella nodded. "Definitely." She became serious again. "I think you know they didn't just do that because they want to thank us for the vacation."

"I know," Mac answered, serious himself now. He hesitated for a moment. Usually Mac wasn't shy when it came to speaking about different topics. This one was different though. Both of them knew that this conversation could lead to a lot of consequences. "So what are your thoughts?"

Stella couldn't help but smile lightly. Somehow she had expected Mac to ask exactly that. He had given the first step back to her. Not because he was afraid to start first. But he knew her for such a long time now, well aware of the fact she had it easier with such conversations. And even though she could feel nervousness rising inside herself as well, she would just do exactly that.

"I think it was a wonderful idea to set the right moment for a conversation like that," she replied honestly. She paused for a moment, thinking about how to word what she wanted to say. Then she just sighed and continued, "Mac, how many years do we know each other now? It's such a long time. I think it's very natural that with every day we got closer and closer. Of course I can't read your mind. I can only speak for myself, but I think we're doing exactly what we have witnessed with two certain other couples. We've gotten closer and closer and are at a point where it's not just friendship between us anymore. It's more than that. Much more, and I think you know that just as much as I know it. Possibly we should use this opportunity here and finally be honest to ourselves."

Stella knew exactly how much she had revealed with this speech. If there was someone she trusted in though, it was Mac. Even for the case he felt differently, she knew he wouldn't abuse this knowledge. The look he gave her and the tiny smile that was tearing at the corners of his mouth though sent a wave of relief through her body.

"Of course you can only speak for yourself," he said then, reaching across the table to rest his hands on top of hers, squeezing them lightly in a loving gesture. "But with what you just told me, you summed up exactly what I'm feeling myself. I think we should indeed use this chance and be honest. And admit what obviously everyone else is seeing for a while already."

Stella chuckled. "Obviously." Keeping her eyes locked with Mac, she watched how he got up from his chair and walked around to her. She allowed him to stand up. For a moment only they gazed at each other.

"Then let's be honest," she almost whispered.

Mac only smiled in response before he stepped closer to Stella. Once again they paused, just for a moment, just to allow each other to pull back for the case either of them was still unsure. Just for a moment. And then they just kissed, finally giving in to what they secretly had been well aware of for such a long time already.

Neither Mac nor Stella knew that two other couples were hiding near the entrance of the barn, watching them. Flack and Jess exchanged a look, both of them smiling happily while he pulled her closer. Lindsay snuggled closer against Danny while he rested his arm around her shoulders, embracing her. Like they had hoped their plan couldn't have worked more successful.

* * *

**Preview: The team has to head back to New York.**


	19. Heading Back To New York

**A/N: Thank you so much for all those great reviews again and also for reading and adding the fic! This is the last chapter of this story. And I have to say, I don't know how to thank you guys for all the wonderful feedback. It's the reason why there'll be a sequel; because of all your love. I never expected to get all that wonderful feedback. Thank you so much! I'll try to post the sequel soon, so you don't have to wait for it too long. Thanks again for all the reviews and support and also to everyone who's been reading this story! Special thanks to sucker-4-SMacked, afrozenheart412, Lola-Ladybug13, DREdwards, Hannah554, DantanaMM, saturn567, Desiree1989, kanameisawesome, ZoeyBug, lily moonlight, Hylen and csimesser1!**

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Chapter 19: Heading Back To New York**

It was Sunday morning. It was a beautiful, sunny Sunday. The sun was rising between the giant mountains, its soft, warm light causing the snow that was covering their tops to glister like millions of tiny diamonds. Birds were singing in the tall fir trees. The long ears of the endlessly long wheat fields that seem to go on for miles were swinging softly in the warm early morning breeze.

Lindsay was standing at the open window of the room she shared with Danny. The couple was up for an hour already so they had enough time to pack their rucksacks again. Her rucksack was completely packed already, so she used the chance to enjoy the impressive view in front of her.

"As much as I love vacations, I really don't need all that packing," Danny groaned, staring at his half packed rucksack in annoyance. "I still can't believe I actually built a tent out there." Sighing deeply, he turned his attention away from the offending object and looked at Lindsay. The moment he glanced at her, he raised his eyebrows lightly.

"Is everything okay with you?" he asked, stepping over to his girlfriend. She kept on staring out of the window when he wrapped his arms around her from behind. Sighing lightly, she leant back into him, nodding.

"You don't really want to go back to New York, right?" he asked when she hadn't answered after a few moments of silence.

Although he had tried to hide it, Lindsay could feel the strong insecurity that was rising inside Danny again. So many times she had told him how much she loved both places; Montana and New York. She had tried to show him how much her new home meant to her. Still he seemed to be insecure and nervous, not sure about whether she could change her mind or not.

Gently she rested her hands on his, which were closed in front of her stomach like he wanted to make sure she couldn't just walk away. She traced her fingers over his, smiling at the secure gesture.

"Do you want to hear the honest answer?" Lindsay asked then.

"Sure," Danny answered, his voice revealing how much more insecure he got with every moment. He snuggled closer, resting his chin on her shoulder. Her smile widened lightly at the way he was searching for closeness.  
"I love being here and I have to admit there have been times when I've felt a bit homesick before," she told him then. "This vacation was wonderful and it was fantastic to be out there in wilderness and now to be over here. But you know what made it even more perfect? You, and our friends. I would never like to stay here while you guys go back to New York. Also I have to admit that I start to miss the skyline. Still I don't think it's better than wheat fields, but I don't prefer any of them. I love Montana. I love New York. But over there, I also have my boyfriend and the best friends I can imagine. I'm looking forward to heading back home, to working with you guys again, to spending time with you as much as possible and to our next team vacation. To sum it up; no, I don't want to stay here. And I hope you finally believe me."

Even though she wasn't seeing him, she could feel him relax at her speech. His tight grip around her loosened a bit. Her smile widened lightly. There was no problem with her reassuring him of how much she loved to be together with him and their friends in the city.

"You know, I wasn't afraid you wouldn't like to head back to New York," he said then after a while.

Lindsay laughed. Playfully she smacked Danny's arm, shaking her head at him. "Of course you weren't." Carefully she freed herself from his embrace so she could turn around and glance up at him. The loving admiration she found in his eyes once again caused this familiar warmth to spread through her entire body. The bond between them seemed to get closer with every day.

She reached out and gently traced her fingers over his cheek. Then she moved closer and captured his lips in a soft kiss. Pulling back, she smiled at him, earning a warm smile in response.

"So," Lindsay said then, turning back to the bed. "Do you think you'll ever get that rucksack packed? I always thought women had a problem with getting all their stuff into their bags."

Danny sighed playfully. "It's not even that much. I wonder how I got it in there before."

Lindsay laughed. "You know what? Let's do that together. I'm sure Mac won't like to wait for us just because you can't even pack your rucksack."

Danny rolled his eyes. "You're such a tease, Montana."

"And you love it," she replied, winking at him.

He released another deep sigh before he joined her on the bed to continue packing. "Yeah, I do. And you know me way too good," he said, causing her to laugh again.  


* * *

"Man, what the hell do you carry in that rucksack?" Flack groaned while he half pulled, half pushed his and Jess's rucksack down the stairs. "Did you really think you need stones on a vacation?"

Jess laughed. "I didn't ask you to carry my rucksack, I could have just done that myself."  
Flack stopped at the bottom of the stairs, turning around to his girlfriend and raising his eyebrows in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? I can barely lift that thing up and you want to carry it yourself? No way."

Playfully raising her eyebrows as well, Jess crossed her arms in front of her chest. "So you wanna tell me I'm not able to carry my rucksack? Don?"

"Uh...I didn't mean you can't," Flack replied, blushing lightly at the look she was giving him. He knew he sometimes had a talent to talk himself into things he didn't find a way out anymore. "I...uh...well, I just wanted to say that my girl doesn't have to carry all that stuff by her own. What else do you have a boyfriend for?"

Jess stared at him for a moment before she broke out into laughter. "I think that was the best excuse you ever came up with." She followed him down the stairs and headed over to the front door of the guest house to open it for him.

Flack managed to push himself and the rucksacks through the door and onto the forecourt, where Sid, Hawkes and Adam were already waiting with their own luggage. Jess helped him to set the rucksacks down next to the others. Secretly she was watching him, so she didn't miss how all of the sudden his formerly relaxed expression turned serious. Without him needing to say a word, she knew he had thought about something that now caused him to worry. She waited a moment, giving him the chance to start talking about what was bothering him first. When he didn't say anything though, she decided to make the first step again.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Looking up, Flack gave her a surprised look. "What should be wrong? Nothing," he answered instinctively. Hearing his voice though was enough for Jess to know for sure he was indeed worrying about something.

"Don, I thought we agreed to be honest to each other. That doesn't only include feelings for each other. If there's something you're worried about, just tell me," she told him. "To say it with your words, that's what you have a girlfriend for."

Flack couldn't prevent himself from smiling at the loving words. Deep inside he knew she was right. He wasn't used to someone caring that much about what he was thinking and feeling and he knew he still needed to be pushed sometimes to let those thoughts and feelings out. Jess wasn't like other women; she didn't back off, thinking he was complicated. Instead she was making steps towards him, willing to push him to talk to her. She was truly interested, and this was enough for him to have the confidence to speak.

"Everything's so easy out here," he explained to her then. "We're together with our friends. We have a great time and everything between us is so easy because everyone is okay with you and me being together. I'm just afraid that when we're back in New York, it'll be so much more difficult. What if people at work have a problem with it? I don't want to have a secret relationship. And what will your father say? And your brothers? Those are all things we'll have to deal with and honestly, I'm a bit scared."

Jess nodded. She had expected him to say exactly that. "Do you think it'll change the feelings we have for each other?" she wanted to know.  
"Of course not!" Flack answered, not needing a second to think about his answer.

Again Jess nodded. "Good. I don't want to tell you that it doesn't matter what anyone will say. Of course we can't just do what we want and ignore everyone else. But you know we're professional, right? We know how to do our jobs and that our relationship can't have an influence on that. And it won't. We'll do fine and then no one is going to have a problem with that. And speaking of my father and brothers. They won't dislike you at all. I think you're what they always wanted me to find. They'll be more than relieved."  
To Jess's relief, Flack chuckled at her answer. "You think they will?" he wanted to know.

"Oh yes," she answered. Stepping closer, she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest. "And now stop worrying, please."

Jess didn't need Flack to respond. She knew he had understood. Of course they had to be careful at work and not mix up their work life and private life. But she was convinced they could do that.

While the couple continued enjoying some closeness, they were joined by another couple. Mac and Stella joined the group. Both of them acted differently, but still it was more than obvious to everyone that the candle light dinner from the night before had been a full success. Glances and gestures were what gave them away.

"I think the lab will look like our team hasn't been camping but visiting some place where you can't help but get together," Stella told Mac while they walked over to the heap of rucksacks which Jake was supposed to pick up later. "Look at that; one week vacation and three couples. I think that's something we can be proud of."

Mac laughed. "It is indeed impressive, I honestly didn't expect that to happen."

"Me neither, but it did and it's great," Stella replied. "And promise you won't worry. All of us know how to do our work. There is no need to worry that any relationship will affect work."

Mac smiled at her, shaking his head. "I don't have a doubt we all know how to behave, Stella," he told her with a wink. "And I agree with you. I'm glad about the way this vacation turned out."

Stella winked back at him. "I know you'd say that." She wanted to add more, but was interrupted by Flack, who had spotted the van already driving down the small road that led to the farm.

"Oh, there's Jake already," he announced. "And we're all here, but where are our other two love birds? Don't tell me that they're...ouch." Rubbing his side, he looked down at Jess who gave him a warning look. "What? It's not my fault they can't keep their hands off each other."

But as if they had heard their team members had been talking about them, Danny and Lindsay joined their friends on the forecourt as well.

"Hey you two, what took you so long?" Hawkes asked when they arrived, breathing heavily.  
"Don't ask," Adam said, grinning, earning a glare from Danny in response.

"We just had some problems with packing Danny's rucksack," Lindsay answered.

She turned around to the main house, just in time to see her family leaving the house and heading towards them. Even from the distance she could see the disappointment in her mother's eyes. So much she had tried to convince the team to stay for one more week. During every meal she had tried that, but unfortunately they had to head back to the city already; something Sally understood but didn't want to understand.

"Are you sure you really don't want to stay here longer?" she asked.

"Sally, come on, they told you they can't," Jeffrey told her, trying to hide his amusement. His wife always acted like that when guests had to head back home.

"But at least my daughter could visit us more often," Sally replied and embraced Lindsay tightly. "And the same counts for her sweet boyfriend." With that she also embraced Danny, causing him to blush bright red at the confirmation they were together. So far he still hadn't had the chance to announce that to her brothers.

"Uh...of course we'll try to come and visit you as soon as possible," he answered then.

"Yeah, and until that you take care of our sister, alright?" Lindsay's oldest brother told him sternly. The wink he gave him though, relieved Danny; obviously his girlfriend had been right and no one had a problem with their relationship.

After embracing every family member, Danny stepped back to Lindsay, who gave him a warm smile. She knew how important it had been for him to be accepted by her family and she was glad they had reacted the way she had hoped them to.  


* * *

For a while the team was sitting in the van again now, all of them silent. They were on their way back to the airport. This time neither of them was exhausted though. Instead all of them were deep in their thoughts. Not everyone of them had been looking forward to this team vacation. So many days out there in the wilderness? There had been a couple of problems they had expected to await them.

Now all of them agreed that the idea had been fantastic. Of course there had been moments that had been driving some of them crazy. But when they thought about the vacation as a whole, they all agreed it had been wonderful and a great experience for them as friends.

"Mac, you remember that we agreed to go on vacation again together in summer, right?" Adam said then, breaking the silence in the van. "Or did you change your opinion about that already?"

Everyone turned their attention to Mac now. Amused he noticed the excitement in his friends' eyes, all of them expecting an answer from him. He was quiet for a moment before a smile lit his face.

"We talked about a vacation to a beach, right?" he answered. "How does Hawaii sound to you? I think I have another friend who could help us with that."

"What, Hawaii?" Sid asked, clearly liking the idea. "That's a fantastic idea, Mac. I remember when my first wife and I have been there on our first honeymoon. They have some really great hotels there. And beaches. If you go on little discovery trips, you can even find some lonely beaches, which are really great when you want to..."  
"Sid!" all of them exclaimed, causing the older man to grin.

"What? I thought some of you might be interested," he replied, laughing.

While the others laughed as well, Danny turned his attention to Lindsay, who was smiling happily.

"See? Now we'll indeed get our romantic beach hotel," he told her.

Her smile widened. "I'm really excited already, you know that?" With a smirk she added, "And I think we should definitely use Sid's idea for us."

He chuckled. "Definitely," he agreed.

With that Danny pulled Lindsay closer and kissed her before they turned their attention back to their team members, amused watching how Hawkes and Adam tried to stop Sid who was trying to tell yet another of his stories. Flack and Jess were already discussing what they would pack to make sure neither of their suitcases would be too heavy. Meanwhile Mac and Stella exchanged a look, both of them amused by their friends' excitement. The vacation had been wonderful, for all of them. Now they were looking forward to their next trip together.  
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Preview 'Hawaiian Nights': The team go on vacation again. This time their target is Maui. What will happen?**


End file.
